blind

American  

[blahynd] / blaɪnd /

adjective

• blinder,
  comparative
• blindest
  superlative

1. unable to see; having severely impaired or absolutely no sense of sight; sightless.

   a blind man.

   Antonyms:

   seeing

2. unwilling or unable to perceive or understand: He was blind to all arguments.

   They were blind to their children's faults.

   He was blind to all arguments.

   Antonyms:

   receptive

3. not characterized or determined by reason or control: blind chance.

   blind tenacity;

   blind chance.

4. not having or based on reason or intelligence; absolute and unquestioning.

   She had blind faith in his fidelity.

   Synonyms:

   unreasoning, thoughtless, rash, uncritical, irrational

   Antonyms:

   rational

5. lacking all consciousness or awareness.

   a blind stupor.

6. drunk.

7. hard to see or understand.

   blind reasoning.

8. hidden from immediate view, especially from oncoming motorists.

   a blind corner.

9. of concealed or undisclosed identity; sponsored anonymously.

   a blind ad signed only with a box number.

10. having no outlets; closed at one end: a blind mountain pass.

    a blind passage;

    a blind mountain pass.

11. Architecture. (of an archway, arcade, etc.) having no windows, passageways, or the like.

12. dense enough to form a screen.

    a blind hedge of privet.

13. done without seeing; by instruments alone.

    blind flying.

14. made without some prior knowledge: a blind lead in a card game.

    a blind purchase;

    a blind lead in a card game.

15. of or relating to an experimental design that prevents investigators or subjects from knowing the hypotheses or conditions being tested.

16. of, relating to, or for blind persons.

17. Bookbinding. (of a design, title, or the like) impressed into the cover or spine of a book by a die without ink or foil.

18. Cooking. (of pastry shells) baked or fried without the filling.

19. (of a rivet or other fastener) made so that the end inserted, though inaccessible, can be headed or spread.

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verb (used with object)

• blinds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• blinded,
  past participle,  past
• blinding
  present participle

1. to make sightless permanently, temporarily, or momentarily, as by injuring, dazzling, bandaging the eyes, etc..

   The explosion blinded him.

   We were blinded by the bright lights.

2. to make obscure or dark.

   The room was blinded by heavy curtains.

3. to deprive of discernment, reason, or judgment.

   a resentment that blinds his good sense.

4. to outshine; eclipse.

   a radiance that doth blind the sun.

noun

• blinds
  plural

1. something that obstructs vision, as a blinker for a horse.

2. a window covering having horizontal or vertical slats that can be drawn out of the way, often with the angle of the slats adjustable to admit varying amounts of light.

3. venetian blind.

4. Chiefly Midland U.S. and British. window shade.

5. a lightly built structure of brush or other growths, especially one in which hunters conceal themselves.

   a duck blind.

   Synonyms:

   ambush

6. an activity, organization, or the like for concealing or masking action or purpose; subterfuge.

   The store was just a blind for their gambling operation.

7. a decoy.

8. Slang. a bout of excessive drinking; drunken spree.

9. Poker. a compulsory bet made without prior knowledge of one's hand.

10. (used with a plural verb) Usually the blind persons who lack the sense of sight.

    The blind are said to have an acute sense of hearing.

adverb

1. into a stupor; to the degree at which consciousness is lost.

   He drank himself blind.

2. without the ability to see clearly; lacking visibility; blindly.

   They were driving blind through the snowstorm.

3. without guidance or forethought.

   They were working blind and couldn't anticipate the effects of their actions.

4. to an extreme or absolute degree; completely.

   The confidence men cheated her blind.

idioms

1. fly blind. fly.

blind British  

/ blaɪnd /

adjective

1. 1. unable to see; sightless

   2. ( as collective noun ; preceded by the )

      the blind

2. (usually foll by to) unable or unwilling to understand or discern

3. not based on evidence or determined by reason

   blind hatred

4. acting or performed without control or preparation

5. done without being able to see, relying on instruments for information

6. hidden from sight

   a blind corner

   a blind stitch

7. closed at one end

   a blind alley

8. completely lacking awareness or consciousness

   a blind stupor

9. informal very drunk

10. having no openings or outlets

    a blind wall

11. without having been seen beforehand

    a blind purchase

12. (of cultivated plants) having failed to produce flowers or fruits

13. (intensifier)

    not a blind bit of notice

14. to disregard deliberately or pretend not to notice (something, esp an action of which one disapproves)

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adverb

1. without being able to see ahead or using only instruments

   to drive blind

   flying blind

2. without adequate knowledge or information; carelessly

   to buy a house blind

3. (intensifier) (in the phrase blind drunk )

4. to bake (the empty crust of a pie, pastry, etc) by half filling with dried peas, crusts of bread, etc, to keep it in shape

verb

1. to deprive of sight permanently or temporarily

2. to deprive of good sense, reason, or judgment

3. to darken; conceal

4. (foll by with) to overwhelm by showing detailed knowledge

   to blind somebody with science

5. slang (intr) to drive very fast

6. slang (intr) to curse (esp in the phrase effing and blinding )

noun

1. (modifier) for or intended to help blind and partially sighted people

   a blind school

2. a shade for a window, usually on a roller

3. any obstruction or hindrance to sight, light, or air

4. a person, action, or thing that serves to deceive or conceal the truth

5. a person who acts on behalf of someone who does not wish his identity or actions to be known

6. Also called: blinder. old-fashioned a drunken orgy; binge

7. poker a stake put up by a player before he examines his cards

8. Brit name: hide. hunting a screen of brush or undergrowth, in which hunters hide to shoot their quarry

9. military a round or demolition charge that fails to explode

blind More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing blind

• fly blind
• rob someone blind
• turn a blind eye

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Usage

What does blind mean? Blind is most commonly used to describe a person who is unable to see. It can describe someone who has severe vision impairment or no vision at all. Some people who cannot see may prefer to be described or referred to with terms other than blind. As with all forms of disabilities, it is always best to use the language that the person prefers. The term the blind is sometimes used to collectively refer to people who are blind, such as in the names of organizations like the National Federation of the Blind. However, some people object to such collective uses, which are sometimes thought to prevent people from being viewed as individuals (in contrast with person-first language, such as people who are blind). Blind is sometimes used in figurative ways, especially as an adjective meaning unable or unwilling to accept or perceive something, as in Don’t be blind to the risks. It is also sometimes used to describe something that is not based on logic, as in blind faith. Such figurative uses can be considered a form of ableism due to likening negative characteristics to a physical disability. As a verb, blind can be used in a literal way meaning to temporarily or permanently take away someone’s ability to see, as in I was blinded by the sun or The accident blinded him. As a noun, blind can refer to a number of objects that obstruct vision or light in some way, most commonly window coverings that can be closed to darken a room (typically referred to with the plural form blinds). Example: As a blind person, I want people to remember that just because I can’t see doesn’t mean I’m incapable of living a full life.

Synonym Usage

Blind, stone-blind, purblind mean unable to see. Blind means unable to see with the physical eyes. Stone-blind emphasizes complete blindness. Purblind refers to weakened vision, literally or figuratively. See curtain.

Regionalisms

See window shade.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• blindness
  noun
• half-blind
  adjective
• self-blinded
  adjective
• blindingly
  adverb
• blindly
  adverb
• half-blindly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• blinds
  plural

Adjectives

• blinder
  comparative
• blindest
  superlative

Participles

• blinding
  present
• blinded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• blind
  simple
• blinds
  simple
• have blinded
  perfect
• has blinded
  perfect
• am blinding
  progressive
• are blinding
  progressive
• is blinding
  progressive
• have been blinding
  perfect progressive
• has been blinding
  perfect progressive

Past

• blinded
  simple
• had blinded
  perfect
• was blinding
  progressive
• were blinding
  progressive
• had been blinding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will blind
  simple
• will have blinded
  perfect
• will be blinding
  progressive
• will have been blinding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of blind

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English adjective cognate with Gothic blinds, Old Norse blindr, German, Dutch blind (from Germanic blindaz, perhaps akin to blend; original sense uncertain, perhaps “to make cloudy”); verb derivative of the adjective

Explanation

Someone who's blind can't see. People who are blind can often get around easily with the aid of a cane and sometimes a service dog. You might get hit by a baseball and end up blind in one eye, or be temporarily blind after a trip to the eye doctor. The word also means "without looking," as in a blind taste test of three different brands of chocolate milk. A figurative way to be blind is to refuse or be unable to see the truth: "He was blind to the reality of the situation." This tendency can be called a person's "blind side."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blind blinds blinder blindest blinded blinding

Chris, who now works with adoption and fostering services in Northern Ireland, says the lack of available information for adoptees is "a huge blind spot".

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

When Madison’s Frances goes on a blind date, her online match says he appreciates that the internet makes it simpler for singles to pair up “within their own vector.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Handing the reins to somebody else has taught me a lot about my blind spots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Using a single blind crossover design, every participant spent two weeks using Hinoki root essential oil and another two weeks using an unscented control.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Percy didn’t remember the old blind man muttering a final curse, but as Phineas dissolved and returned to the Underworld, he probably hadn’t wished Percy a long and happy life.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

It’s a statement that they lowered the blinds twice, and then they told the media to leave.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

Bold Coast Charter’s trips allow participants to land on an island and spend a couple of hours in blinds to see and photograph at close range puffins gathered on rocks above their nesting burrows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Journalists on the old plane out of Ankara were also told to keep their window blinds down -- a step normally reserved for war zones -- furthering suspicions of security concerns.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

She recommends drawing curtains and blinds in rooms facing direct sunlight to stop the air inside heating up.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

All the blinds are pulled, so once I’m inside I can use a flashlight without being seen.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

Most shooters compete with a blinder on one eye to keep the muscles relaxed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2024

Ten Hag played a blinder with his gameplan and his players executed it perfectly.

From BBC ● May 26, 2024

He now values blind loyalty and even blinder sycophancy more than electoral appeal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2024

With food prices climbing and energy bills far higher than last spring, unless the Easter bunny pulls a blinder, lots of us will be looking for ways to make Easter more affordable.

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2023

“I may be blinder than any bat, but I got me a government-issue rifle. It was the one my husband, Mr. Hamline, carried when he fought with Captain Lilly’s Eighteenth Indiana Light Artillery at Chicamauga.”

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Of course he is Ghanaian and the fact that his younger brother Nico is playing for Spain does not make the blindest bit of difference.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2022

“My presence in Washington wouldn’t have made the blindest bit of difference,” he said.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022

In New York, though, no one seems to take the blindest bit of notice.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2017

But there is a saying that Carlos, a man of many sayings, sometimes applied to Jorge: ‘‘The blindest man is the one who does not want to see.’’

From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2015

One teenager was whittling at a lump and not paying me the blindest bit of notice.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

A teenager blinded by a firework on Bonfire Night has called for a ban on them being sold to the public.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

The risk was especially high at night and in poor weather, when they were blinded by the glare of headlights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

Are investors too blinded by AI that they’re ignoring opportunity elsewhere?

From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026

Researchers report the first blinded, randomized, sham-controlled evidence that a procedure called duodenal mucosal resurfacing may offer a safe and lasting way to maintain weight loss without ongoing medication.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2026

The agony blinded her; the world went in and out of focus.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

He also lambasted people’s preoccupation with possessing money as warping their imaginations and blinding them to the existence of more fulfilling possibilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Did the fun of the film festival circuit eventually become a blinding limelight, through which Adrian couldn’t see past as he got older?

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

The sun is blinding hot, but that has not deterred the tourist hordes from splashing about in the ocean.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

On the soccer pitch, Cobi Jones was defined by blinding speed, a tireless work rate and an exceptional soccer IQ.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

In the moment before the explosion, before the white light becomes too blinding to discern precisely what is happening, they dissolve into the air.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• ignorant
• insensitive
• nearsighted
• oblivious
• unconscious