blind spot

American  

[blahynd spot] / ˈblaɪnd ˌspɒt /

noun

1. Anatomy. a small area on the retina that is insensitive to light due to the interruption, where the optic nerve joins the retina, of the normal pattern of light-sensitive rods and cones.

2. an area or subject about which one is uninformed, prejudiced, or unappreciative.

   I confess that operettas are my blind spot.

3. dead spot.

4. Also called dead spot.  any part of an auditorium, arena, or the like, in which a person is unable to see or hear satisfactorily.

5. an area to the side and slightly behind a driver's field of vision that is not reflected in the vehicle's rearview mirror.

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blind spot British  

noun

1. a small oval-shaped area of the retina in which vision is not experienced. It marks the nonphotosensitive site of entrance into the eyeball of the optic nerve See optic disc

2. a place or area, as in an auditorium or part of a road, where vision is completely or partially obscured or hearing is difficult or impossible

3. a subject about which a person is ignorant or prejudiced, or an occupation in which he or she is inefficient

4. a location within the normal range of a radio transmitter with weak reception

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blind spot Scientific  

/ blīnd /

1. The small region of the retina where fibers of the optic nerve emerge from the eyeball. The blind spot has no rods or cones, so no light or visual image can be transmitted.

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blind spot Cultural  

1. A small region in the visual field (the area scanned by the eye) that cannot be seen. The blind spot corresponds to an area in the eye where the optic nerve enters the retina.

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blind spot Idioms  

1. Subject about which one is ignorant or biased. For example, The boss has a blind spot about Henry; he wouldn't fire him for anything, or Dad has a blind spot about opera; he can't see anything good about it. This term uses blind in the sense of “covered or hidden from sight.” It has two literal meanings: an insensitive part of the retina and an area outside one's field of vision. The phrase has largely replaced blind side, which survives mainly in the verb to blindside, meaning “to hit someone on an unguarded side” and “to deal an unexpected blow.” [Mid-1800s]

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Discover More

In a general sense, the term is used to refer to an inability to see things that might be obvious to another observer: “He has a blind spot as far as his daughter's behavior is concerned.”

Etymology

Origin of blind spot

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

“All of us live with a huge blind spot before our eyes,” Strout writes, “meaning that no matter what we think we know we can never fully understand how we appear to others.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

This limitation has left scientists with a major blind spot at the scales where vertical mixing occurs.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

A London-based eye-surgeon has described how he himself underwent emergency surgery for a detached retina after a blind spot appeared in his right eye.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

On the display screen, red highlights appear along the side of the vehicle icon whenever another car is in the blind spot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

There was a second wallpost closer, but it was situated in such a way that the terrace area was in a blind spot.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• deficiency
• weak point