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.

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

In a twist on condo conversions, some people even remodeled the upper floors of their homes — blacking out windows and drilling ventilation holes — to make them habitable for swiftlets.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2024

Mr Choudhury said it was a miracle he survived his fall in 2021 after he asked two walkers to take his photograph before suddenly blacking out and plunging down the ravine.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2023

Most, he was beginning to dread the curtain that might waver in his brain, blacking out the sense of danger, making a simpleton of him.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

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