black out

Idioms  

1. Obliterate with black, as in crossing out words on a page or print on a screen. For example, They have blacked out all the obscene words in the subtitles to make this movie suitable for youngsters . This usage may be derived from an earlier meaning, “to stain or defame,” which dates from the 15th century (and probably alludes to “blackening” a person's reputation). [Mid-1800s]

2. Extinguish all lights. For example, The whole town was asleep, as blacked out as London during the war . In the early 1900s this expression alluded to the lights in a theater, but from about 1940 on it meant darkening an entire city to hide it from enemy bombers.

3. Lose consciousness, faint; also, experience a temporary loss of memory. For example, I couldn't remember a single note of the music; I blacked out completely , or The accused man claims he blacked out after his first drink . This usage is thought to have originated with pilots, who sometimes fainted briefly when pulling out of a power dive. It soon was transferred to other losses of consciousness or memory. [c. 1940]

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Example Sentences

Davis walked, loading the bases and bringing Rockies manager Bud Black out for a mound visit.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2022

From the night Hale first took Black out to dinner to tell her about his kidneys failing, she planned to give him one of hers.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 10, 2018

The main reason for the falling interest in baseball is the MLB's Black out rule.

From New York Times • Apr. 6, 2016

Baker threw Black out of the game after the Braves went up 3-1 on Jace Peterson’s infield RBI single.

From Washington Times • Jun. 11, 2015

"Black out," she said in a gentle and regretful voice: "the last exit: Curtain—End of the Play!"

From The Destroying Angel by Vance, Louis Joseph

Related Words

• cross out
• cut off
• darken
• erase
• extinguish
• faint
• pass out