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definitions

black-and-blue

[blak-uh n-bloo]
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR black-and-blue ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

discolored, as by bruising; exhibiting ecchymosis: a black-and-blue mark on my knee.

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RELATED WORDS

pain, bruise, suffering, discomfort, outrage, ache, harm, distress, scratch, down, pang, disaster, blow, misfortune, ruin, wound, mark, nick, gash, mischief

Nearby words

  1. black, hugo,
  2. black, hugo lafayette,
  3. black, james,
  4. black, joseph,
  5. black-a-vised,
  6. black-and-tan,
  7. black-and-tan terrier,
  8. black-and-white,
  9. black-backed gull,
  10. black-bag

Origin of black-and-blue

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for black and blue

black-and-blue

adjective

(of the skin) discoloured, as from a bruise
feeling pain or soreness, as from a beating
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with black and blue

black and blue

Badly bruised, as in That fall down the stairs left me black and blue all over. Even though multicolored bruises rarely include the color black, this term has been so used since about 1300.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.