blind

[blahynd]

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adjective, blind·er, blind·est.

unable to see; lacking the sense of sight; sightless: a blind man.

unwilling or unable to perceive or understand: They were blind to their children's faults. He was blind to all arguments.

not characterized or determined by reason or control: blind tenacity; blind chance.

not having or based on reason or intelligence; absolute and unquestioning: She had blind faith in his fidelity.

lacking all consciousness or awareness: a blind stupor.

drunk.

hard to see or understand: blind reasoning.

hidden from immediate view, especially from oncoming motorists: a blind corner.

of concealed or undisclosed identity; sponsored anonymously: a blind ad signed only with a box number.

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

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

dense enough to form a screen: a blind hedge of privet.

done without seeing; by instruments alone: blind flying.

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

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

of, relating to, or for blind persons.

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

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

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

verb (used with object)

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.

to make obscure or dark: The room was blinded by heavy curtains.

to deprive of discernment, reason, or judgment: a resentment that blinds his good sense.

to outshine; eclipse: a radiance that doth blind the sun.

noun

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

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.

venetian blind.

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

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

an activity, organization, or the like for concealing or masking action or purpose; subterfuge: The store was just a blind for their gambling operation.

a decoy.

Slang. a bout of excessive drinking; drunken spree.

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

(used with a plural verb) persons who lack the sense of sight (usually preceded by the): The blind are said to have an acute sense of hearing.

adverb

into a stupor; to the degree at which consciousness is lost: He drank himself blind.

without the ability to see clearly; lacking visibility; blindly: They were driving blind through the snowstorm.

without guidance or forethought: They were working blind and couldn't anticipate the effects of their actions.

to an extreme or absolute degree; completely: The confidence men cheated her blind.

Idioms

fly blind. fly¹(def 34).

Origin of blind

before 1000; (adj.) Middle English blind, Old English; cognate with Gothic blinds, Old Norse blindr, German, Dutch blind (< Germanic *blindaz, perhaps akin to blend; original sense uncertain); (v.) Middle English blinden, derivative of the adj.

Related formsblind·ing·ly, adverbblind·ness, nounhalf-blind, adjectivehalf-blind·ly, adverbhalf-blind·ness, nounqua·si-blind, adjectivequa·si-blind·ly, adverbself-blind·ed, adjective

Synonyms for blind

4. irrational, uncritical, rash, thoughtless, unreasoning. 8. concealed. 28. hiding place, ambush.

Synonym study

1. 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. 25. See curtain.

Antonyms for blind

1. seeing. 2. receptive. 4. rational.

Regional variation note

27. See window shade.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for blinds

ignorant, oblivious, insensitive, unconscious, nearsighted, mindless, irrational, impassable, curtain, dark, unsighted, groping, wild, rash, dim, disguised, secluded, concealed, closed, obscured

Examples from the Web for blinds

Contemporary Examples of blinds

Levin rightly disparages the “nostalgia” that he says “blinds” both liberals and conservatives to this new reality.
Relax—Both Parties Are Going Extinct
Nick Gillespie
November 4, 2014
That was when the blinds were closed, blocking Fretland and the other witnesses from what happened next.
Lifting the Curtain on Oklahoma's Botched Lethal Injection
Caitlin Dickson
August 29, 2014
It blinds us to its presence, even as it works to obscure our reality and provide logical explanations for illogical facts.
Are Black Students Unruly? Or is America Just Racist?
Jamelle Bouie
March 21, 2014
But this is pernicious, Hayes argues, because it blinds us to the eventual results of these sorts of systems.
Is Meritocracy Un-American? Chris Hayes Says System Is Hurting U.S.
Jesse Singal
June 16, 2012
“Hey, the blinds are moving,” one of the teens said, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Trayvon Martin: Other ‘Stand Your Ground’ Cases, From Florida to North Carolina
Clark Merrefield
March 23, 2012

Historical Examples of blinds

People are not particular about lowering the blinds in the country.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
The temptation of this ready cash often blinds the landlord to his future interest.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
The outer gate was shut, and all the blinds on the front of the house were closed.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
There were doors opened, blinds pushed aside, faces—that sort of thing.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
The blinds were left up, and I was free to observe all that passed.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill

British Dictionary definitions for blinds

blind

adjective

unable to see; sightless
(as collective noun; preceded by the)the blind

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

not based on evidence or determined by reasonblind hatred

acting or performed without control or preparation

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

hidden from sighta blind corner; a blind stitch

closed at one enda blind alley

completely lacking awareness or consciousnessa blind stupor

informal very drunk

having no openings or outletsa blind wall

without having been seen beforehanda blind purchase

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

(intensifier)not a blind bit of notice

turn a blind eye to disregard deliberately or pretend not to notice (something, esp an action of which one disapproves)

adverb

without being able to see ahead or using only instrumentsto drive blind; flying blind

without adequate knowledge or information; carelesslyto buy a house blind

(intensifier) (in the phrase blind drunk)

bake blind 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 (mainly tr)

to deprive of sight permanently or temporarily

to deprive of good sense, reason, or judgment

to darken; conceal

(foll by with) to overwhelm by showing detailed knowledgeto blind somebody with science

(intr) British slang to drive very fast

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

noun

(modifier) for or intended to help blind and partially sighted peoplea blind school

a shade for a window, usually on a roller

any obstruction or hindrance to sight, light, or air

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

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

Also called: blinder British old-fashioned, slang a drunken orgy; binge

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

hunting, mainly US and Canadian a screen of brush or undergrowth, in which hunters hide to shoot their quarryBrit name: hide

military a round or demolition charge that fails to explode

Derived Formsblindly, adverbblindness, noun

Word Origin for blind

Old English blind; related to Old Norse blindr, Old High German blint; Lettish blendu to see dimly; see blunder

usage

It is preferable to avoid using phrases such as the blind . Instead you should talk about blind and partially sighted people

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

Word Origin and History for blinds

"window screens," 1771, from blind (singular blind in this sense is recorded from 1731).

blind

adj.

Old English blind "blind," also "dark, enveloped in darkness, obscure; unintelligent, lacking mental perception," probably from West Germanic *blinda- "blind" (cf. Dutch and German blind, Old Norse blindr, Gothic blinds "blind"), perhaps, via notion of "to make cloudy, deceive," from an extended Germanic form of the PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" (see bleach (v.)); cf. Lithuanian blendzas "blind," blesti "to become dark." The original sense, not of "sightless," but of "confused," perhaps underlies such phrases as blind alley (Chaucer's lanes blynde), which is older than the sense of "closed at one end" (1610s). In reference to doing something without seeing it first, by 1840. Of aviators flying without instruments or without clear observation, from 1919. Blindman's bluff is from 1580s.

The twilight, or rather the hour between the time when one can no longer see to read and the lighting of the candles, is commonly called blindman's holiday. [Grose, 1796]

Related: Blinded; blinding.

blind

"deprive of sight," early 13c., from Old English blendan "to blind, deprive of sight; deceive," from Proto-Germanic *blandjan (see blind (adj.)); form influenced in Middle English by the adjective. Related: Blinded; blinding.

blind

"a blind person; blind persons collectively," late Old Engish, from blind (adj.). Meaning "place of concealment" is from 1640s. Meaning "anything that obstructs sight" is from 1702.

blinds in Medicine

blind

[blīnd]

adj.

Unable to see; without useful sight.

Having a maximal visual acuity of the better eye, after correction by refractive lenses, of one-tenth normal vision or less (20/200 or less on the Snellen test).

Of, relating to, or for sightless persons.

Closed at one end, as a tube or sac.

Related formsblind′ness n.

Idioms and Phrases with blinds

blind

In addition to the idioms beginning with blind

blind alley
blind as a bat
blind leading the blind
blind side
blind spot

also see:

fly blind
rob someone blind
turn a blind eye