blackjack

[ blak-jak ]

/ ˈblækˌdʒæk /

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See synonyms for blackjack on Thesaurus.com

noun

Cards.

Also called twenty-one . a gambling game in which the object is to obtain from the dealer cards whose values add up to, or close to, 21 but do not exceed it.
a variety of this game in which any player can become dealer.
Also called natural . (in the game of blackjack) an ace together with a ten or a face card as the first two cards dealt.

a short, leather-covered club, consisting of a heavy head on a flexible handle, used as a weapon.

black flag (defs. 1, 2).

a small oak, Quercus marilandica, of the eastern United States, having a nearly black bark and a wood of little value except for fuel.

a large drinking cup or jug for beer, ale, etc., originally made of leather coated externally with tar.Compare bombard (def. 7).

caramel or burnt sugar for coloring spirits, vinegar, coffee, etc.

Mineralogy. a dark, iron-rich variety of sphalerite.

verb (used with object)

to strike or beat with a blackjack.

to compel by threat.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of blackjack

First recorded in 1505–15; black + jack¹

Words nearby blackjack

Black, Hugo, black humor, black ice, blacking, Black Isle, blackjack, black japan, black kite, black knight, black knot, black land

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use blackjack in a sentence

For instance, people bet themselves into bankruptcy at blackjack tables based on what they easily remember — big winners — rather than on the vast majority of losers.
Psychology has struggled for a century to make sense of the mind|Bruce Bower|August 11, 2021|Science News
He sent a similar text to a middle-aged blackjack player among very overt sexual messages.
Weiner’s Desperate Rockaway Trip|Michael Daly|August 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Each den of sin has its selling points, but Puerto Rican casinos make good with $5 minimums at the blackjack tables.
One First-Timer’s Adventures in Culebra and Puerto Rico|Kara Cutruzzula|March 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Later, in the middle of a hot streak, the polo guy starts calling me “Miss 21, Miss Blackjack.”
One First-Timer’s Adventures in Culebra and Puerto Rico|Kara Cutruzzula|March 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Instead they keep at it, with Paul Ryan and old “Blackjack” Bennett pressing ever onward at the Values Voter Summit on Friday.
Mitt Romney’s Last-Ditch Strategy: Inflame the Base|Michael Tomasky|September 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The problem was that I was a card counter: a professional blackjack player.
Online Casinos Run by New York, Other States Will Target Gambling Addicts|Josh Axelrad|January 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"Blackjack" Donnely had made that clear in his trial in Texas.
The Penal Cluster|Ivar Jorgensen (AKA Randall Garrett)
The next evening, "Blackjack" Donnely was shot down at the front door of his own home.
The Penal Cluster|Ivar Jorgensen (AKA Randall Garrett)
If that were so, he—or they—could make the late "Blackjack" Donnely look like a meek, harmless, little mouse.
The Penal Cluster|Ivar Jorgensen (AKA Randall Garrett)
The case, even at that point, might have ended with an acquittal or a hung jury, but Donnely wasn't through using his blackjack.
The Penal Cluster|Ivar Jorgensen (AKA Randall Garrett)
He bit off a chew from his plug of "blackjack," and with calm eyes surveyed the doom toward which he was rushing.
The Watchers of the Trails|Charles G. D. Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (1 of 5)

blackjack¹

/ (ˈblækˌdʒæk) mainly US and Canadian /

noun

a truncheon of leather-covered lead with a flexible shaft

verb

(tr) to hit with or as if with a blackjack

(tr) to compel (a person) by threats

Word Origin for blackjack

C19: from black + jack 1 (implement)

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (2 of 5)

blackjack²

/ (ˈblækˌdʒæk) /

noun cards

pontoon or any of various similar card games

the ace of spades

Word Origin for blackjack

C20: from black + jack 1 (the knave)

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (3 of 5)

blackjack³

/ (ˈblækˌdʒæk) /

noun

a dark iron-rich variety of the mineral sphalerite

Word Origin for blackjack

C18: from black + jack 1 (originally a miner's name for this useless ore)

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (4 of 5)

blackjack⁴

/ (ˈblækˌdʒæk) /

noun

a small oak tree, Quercus marilandica, of the southeastern US, with blackish bark and fan-shaped leavesAlso called: blackjack oak

Word Origin for blackjack

C19: from black + jack 1 (from the proper name, popularly used in many plant names)

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (5 of 5)

blackjack⁵

/ (ˈblækˌdʒæk) /

noun

a tarred leather tankard or jug

Word Origin for blackjack

C16: from black + jack ³

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

blackjack

Origin of blackjack

Words nearby blackjack

Words related to blackjack

How to use blackjack in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (1 of 5)

Word Origin for blackjack

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (2 of 5)

Word Origin for blackjack

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (3 of 5)

Word Origin for blackjack

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (4 of 5)

Word Origin for blackjack

British Dictionary definitions for blackjack (5 of 5)

Word Origin for blackjack