Showing Results for "blacking"

blacking

American

[blak-ing] / ˈblæk ɪŋ /

noun

any preparation for producing a black coating or finish, as on shoes or stoves.

blacking British

/ ˈblækɪŋ /

noun

any preparation, esp one containing lampblack, for giving a black finish to shoes, metals, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of blacking

First recorded in 1590–1600; black + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"On Saturday I was blacking in and out, I didn't know what to do," she said.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Over the weekend she said she continued bleeding and suffering a lot of pain, even blacking out on her way to the bathroom at night.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

Yet in recent months, the utility has heard a chorus of complaints from communities including Moorpark and Malibu that it is blacking out customers even when the winds are calm.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025

“I think the reason that you redact records like this, records that are just silly to redact in the first place, it’s about normalizing the blacking out of records,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2023

And then his right hand begins to burn, the pain sharp and searing, beginning at the scar around his finger and racing up his arm, blacking out every thought in his mind.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023