blank

American  

[blangk] / blæŋk /

adjective

blanker, blankest

1. (of paper or other writing surface) having no marks; not written or printed on.

   a blank sheet of paper.

2. not filled in, as a printed form.

   a blank check.

3. unrelieved or unbroken by ornament, opening, decoration, etc..

   a blank wall.

4. lacking some usual or completing feature.

   An image is stamped onto a blank coin by a die.

5. (of a recording medium) containing no previously recorded information.

   She transferred all the restored data onto a blank hard drive.

   I still have a few blank CD-ROMs.

6. void of interest, variety, results, etc..

   She sometimes occupied her blank days reading detective stories.

7. showing no attention, interest, or emotion.

   a blank expression on his face.

8. disconcerted; nonplussed; speechless.

   He looked blank when I asked him why he applied for the job.

   Synonyms:

   perplexed, dumbstruck

9. complete; utter; unmitigated.

   blank stupidity.

   Synonyms:

   unqualified, absolute, perfect, unadulterated, thorough, pure, downright

10. Archaic. white; pale; colorless.

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noun

blanks plural

1. a place where something is lacking; an empty space.

   a blank in one's memory.

   Synonyms:

   gap, vacancy, void, hiatus, lacuna

2. a space in a printed form, test, etc., to be filled in.

   Write your name in the blank.

3. a printed form containing such spaces.

   Have you filled out one of these blanks?

4. a dash put in place of an omitted letter, series of letters, etc., especially to avoid writing a word considered profane or obscene.

5. Metalworking. a piece of metal ready to be drawn, pressed, or machined into a finished object.

6. blank cartridge.

7. Archery. the bull's-eye.

8. the object toward which anything is directed; aim; target.

verb (used with object)

blanks, present (3rd person singular) blanked, past participle, past blanking present participle

1. to cross out or delete, especially in order to invalidate or void (usually followed byout ).

   to blank out an entry.

2. Informal. to keep (an opponent) from scoring in a game.

3. Metalworking. to stamp or punch out of flat stock, as with a die.

idioms

1. draw a blank,

   1. to fail in an attempt; be unsuccessful.

      We've drawn a blank in the investigation.

   2. to fail to comprehend or be unable to recollect.

      He asked me their phone number and I drew a blank.

blank British  

/ blæŋk /

adjective

1. (of a writing surface) bearing no marks; not written on

2. (of a form, etc) with spaces left for details to be filled in

3. without ornament or break; unrelieved

   a blank wall

4. not filled in; empty; void

   a blank space

5. exhibiting no interest or expression

   a blank look

6. lacking understanding; confused

   he looked blank even after the explanations

7. absolute; complete

   blank rejection

8. devoid of ideas or inspiration

   his mind went blank in the exam

9. unproductive; barren

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noun

1. an emptiness; void; blank space

2. an empty space for writing in, as on a printed form

3. a printed form containing such empty spaces

4. something characterized by incomprehension or mental confusion

   my mind went a complete blank

5. a mark, often a dash, in place of a word, esp a taboo word

6. short for blank cartridge

7. a plate or plug used to seal an aperture

8. a piece of material prepared for stamping, punching, forging, etc

9. archery the white spot in the centre of a target

10. 1. to choose a lottery ticket that fails to win

    2. to get no results from something

verb

1. (usually foll by out) to cross out, blot, or obscure

2. slang to ignore or be unresponsive towards (someone)

   the crowd blanked her for the first four numbers

3. to forge, stamp, punch, or cut (a piece of material) in preparation for forging, die-stamping, or drawing operations

4. (often foll by off) to seal (an aperture) with a plate or plug

5. informal to prevent (an opponent) from scoring in a game

blank More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing blank

• draw a blank
• fill in (the blanks)

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Synonym Usage

See empty.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• blankness
  noun
• blankly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• blanks
  plural

Participles

• blanking
  present
• blanked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• blank
  simple
• blanks
  simple
• have blanked
  perfect
• has blanked
  perfect
• am blanking
  progressive
• are blanking
  progressive
• is blanking
  progressive
• have been blanking
  perfect progressive
• has been blanking
  perfect progressive

Past

• blanked
  simple
• had blanked
  perfect
• was blanking
  progressive
• were blanking
  progressive
• had been blanking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will blank
  simple
• will have blanked
  perfect
• will be blanking
  progressive
• will have been blanking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of blank

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (noun and adjective) from Anglo-French, French blanc; adjective from Germanic; compare Old English blanca “white horse,” Old High German blanch “bright, white” ( German blank )

Explanation

Something that's blank is empty or undecorated. A blank canvas hasn't been drawn or painted on yet — it's clean and unmarked. A blank computer screen has no information on it, and a blank look on someone's face is completely free of any expression, revealing nothing. If your mind goes blank during a job interview, you are left without any thoughts for a moment. When blank is a noun, it means "a line to be filled in" or "an empty space." In the 1500s, a blank was the empty, white center of a target, from the French word blanc, or "white."

Example Sentences

Instead of taking 100 swings in the cage with a specific cue, he’s building up from a blank slate every day.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026

Vermeer eschewed easy narrative deduction, Mr. Graham-Dixon writes, by substituting the map with a blank wall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

"Kenyans were rightly concerned about whether this agreement was basically a blank cheque to American companies... to freely experiment or engage in Kenya without the normal public health guardrails," he told AFP.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

"We can't just give them a blank cheque or put the responsibility on council leaders when they're already restrained right now."

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026

They saw a blank space on the wall and some iron hooks.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• dull
• hollow
• immobile
• impassive
• lifeless
• meaningless
• vacant