blackjack

American  

[blak-jak] / ˈblækˌdʒæk /

noun

1. Cards.

   1. 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.

   2. a variety of this game in which any player can become dealer.

   3. Also called natural.  (in the game of blackjack) an ace together with a ten or a face card as the first two cards dealt.

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

3. black flag.

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

5. a large drinking cup or jug for beer, ale, etc., originally made of leather coated externally with tar.

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

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

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verb (used with object)

1. to strike or beat with a blackjack.

2. to compel by threat.

blackjack ¹ British  

/ ˈblækˌdʒæk /

noun

1. a truncheon of leather-covered lead with a flexible shaft

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verb

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

2. (tr) to compel (a person) by threats

blackjack ² British  

/ ˈblækˌdʒæk /

noun

1. pontoon or any of various similar card games

2. the ace of spades

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blackjack ³ British  

/ ˈblækˌdʒæk /

noun

1. a dark iron-rich variety of the mineral sphalerite

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blackjack ⁴ British  

/ ˈblækˌdʒæk /

noun

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

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blackjack ⁵ British  

/ ˈblækˌdʒæk /

noun

1. a tarred leather tankard or jug

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Etymology

Origin of blackjack

First recorded in 1505–15; black + jack ¹

Example Sentences

Authorities want to close a legal loophole that allowed card clubs to offer blackjack and other banked games in which players play against the house.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

Bettors who want to play blackjack can still do so at Indian casinos, which won’t be affected by the ban.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

It being a little early for blackjack at the towering Beau Rivage, where I’d booked a room for the night, I instead crossed the causeway to nearby Ocean Springs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

This is a job where you rent your first home, not buy, and don’t even bother to get a couch or hang your triptych of dogs playing blackjack on the wall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

“See this,” she announces to her new employee, Maribel Navarro, riffling her orders like a blackjack dealer.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García