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

A third undated snap shows the former US president reclining in a hot tub beside someone whose face is blacked out to protect their identity.

From BBC

“A baby,” I said, and then I blacked out.

From Literature

“I remember thinking, ‘Don’t black out,’” she exclaims.

From Los Angeles Times

Sure enough, the man who played the Consigliere in The Godfather pulled up in a car with blacked out windows and shared a few minutes with me.

From BBC

After viewing unredacted copies of the files, Khanna revealed the names of six other people on Tuesday that he says were improperly blacked out.

From BBC

Related Words

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