black out

1. 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.

2. 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]

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]

Example Sentences

Other deletions are easy to guess, like when they black out the number in “SEAL Team XXX”

From The Daily Beast

The team have implemented a media black-out ahead of their crucial game against Cameroon on Wednesday.

From The Daily Beast

The Frankenstorm is canceling rallies and could black out millions during the final ad blitz.

From The Daily Beast

"Jim—black out their lights before the dust clears," he called.

From Project Gutenberg

I began to black out from the physical hunger of a woman who did not know the extent of her new-found body.

From Project Gutenberg

The articles sometimes come black out of the kiln, but they get their proper appearance by being rubbed with cotton.

From Project Gutenberg

Then suddenly he knew the meaning of his strange black-out and Baldy's sly words.

From Project Gutenberg

When the pressure became too great, when he began to black out, he would press it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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