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

My bedroom window is blacked out with a curtain as it is in real life.

From Literature

I sent the screenshots—with our information blacked out, of course—but by my calculations, we’ve been friends for four whole days.

From Literature

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

Related Words

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