blot
1a spot or stain, especially of ink on paper.
a blemish on a person's character or reputation: He had been haunted by a blot on his past.
Archaic. an erasure or obliteration, as in a writing.
to spot, stain, soil, or the like.
to darken; make dim; obscure or eclipse (usually followed by out): We watched as the moon blotted out the sun.
to dry with absorbent paper or the like: to blot the wet pane.
to remove with absorbent paper or the like.
to make a blot; spread ink, dye, etc., in a stain: The more slowly I write, the more this pen blots.
to become blotted or stained: This paper blots too easily.
Chemistry. to transfer an array of separated components of a mixture to a chemically treated paper for analysis.: Compare gel (def. 4), gel electrophoresis.
blot out,
to make indistinguishable; obliterate: to blot out a name from the record.
to wipe out completely; destroy: Whole cities were blotted out by bombs.
Origin of blot
1Other words for blot
Other words from blot
- blotless, adjective
- blot·ting·ly, adverb
- blotty, adjective
- un·blot·ted, adjective
Words Nearby blot
Other definitions for blot (2 of 2)
Backgammon. an exposed piece liable to be taken or forfeited.
Archaic. an exposed or weak point, as in an argument or course of action.
Origin of blot
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use blot in a sentence
Here’s the nutshell bio that Gary sent me last night — after I discovered that he’d gotten that 500th blot of ink.
Style Conversational Week 1443: The Ballad of Gary Crockett | Pat Myers | July 1, 2021 | Washington PostLike a catalogue of Rorschach ink blots, his oeuvre generates orgies of idle speculation and elaborate projection.
Dawoud Bey, Jasper Johns and ‘Automania’ are among the many compelling reasons to visit museums this summer | Sebastian Smee | June 11, 2021 | Washington PostBack in 2015, the Empress ran a contest that Loser William Verkuilen remembers fondly, having gotten a couple of blots of ink out of it in Week 1155.
The Style Invitational: A bug’s laugh — cicada ‘art’ winners | Pat Myers | June 3, 2021 | Washington PostIt’s the fifth Style Invitational win — and 382nd blot in all — for Dave Prevar, but it’s his first Clowning Achievement trophy.
There’s one subset of Novel Interpretations of our Staake contest that’s unlikely ever to win the whole thing, but almost always results in a blot of ink for one or two Losers.
Like Amalek, the Biblical evil-doer whose name we are enjoined to “blot out.”
How Do We Deal with the Baseless Hatred at the Western Wall? | Emily L. Hauser | July 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut we must remember not only to not forget, but to blot out the enemy—not mercifully, but through genocide.
The scandal was “a serious blot on my reputation,” he complained to Leveson.
Rupert Murdoch Bares Media’s Reach to Leveson Inquiry on Phone Hacking | Nicholas Wapshott | April 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThink of its twisted outline as a Rorschach blot for a society—maybe a civilization.
The speech did irreparable damage to Powell's reputation, and he has since called it "a blot on his record."
I am, I am he that blot out thy iniquities for my own sake, and I will not remember thy sins.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousIt needs better evidence to stamp this solitary suggestion of a blot on the clear scutcheon of Douglas.
King Robert the Bruce | A. F. MurisonMen surged forward to close in and blot out the glow from the killer's fingers.
It is the blot on Richard Feverel, for instance, that it begins to end well; and then tricks you and ends ill.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis StevensonThe failure to recognize the sanctity of marriage is the great blot on the system of Confucius as a scheme of morals.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
British Dictionary definitions for blot (1 of 2)
/ (blɒt) /
a stain or spot of ink, paint, dirt, etc
something that spoils or detracts from the beauty or worth of something
a blemish or stain on one's character or reputation
(of ink, dye, etc) to form spots or blobs on (a material) or (of a person) to cause such spots or blobs to form on (a material)
blot one's copybook informal to spoil one's reputation by making a mistake, offending against social customs, etc
(intr) to stain or become stained or spotted
(tr) to cause a blemish in or on; disgrace
to soak up (excess ink, etc) by using blotting paper or some other absorbent material
(of blotting paper or some other absorbent material) to absorb (excess ink, etc)
(tr often foll by out)
to darken or hide completely; obscure; obliterate
to destroy; annihilate
Origin of blot
1British Dictionary definitions for blot (2 of 2)
/ (blɒt) /
backgammon a man exposed by being placed alone on a point and therefore able to be taken by the other player
archaic a weak spot
Origin of blot
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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