blot out

Idioms  

1. Obliterate, wipe out of existence or memory, as in At least one Indian nation was blotted out as the pioneers moved west, or The trauma of the accident blotted out all her memory of recent events. This idiom, first recorded in 1516, uses the verb to blot in the sense of making something illegible by spotting or staining it with ink. The New Testament has it (Acts 3:19): “Repent ye ... that your sins may be blotted out.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blot out

Moth swarms so thick they can blot out the stars are fluttering across Australia, heralding a migratory spectacle unseen since the creature's brush with extinction nearly 10 years ago.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

In a later bid to blot out those memories, the Yankees leveled that stadium and built another one across the street.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024

The moon was too far from Earth to completely blot out the sun, but will be at just the right distance on April 8.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2023

As the moon lines up precisely between Earth and the sun, it will blot out all but the sun’s outer rim.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 10, 2023

I blot out all the kids being rude!

From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• consume
• crush
• damage
• dismantle
• end
• eradicate
• gut
• impair
• kill
• maim
• ravage
• raze
• ruin
• sabotage
• shatter
• smash
• smash-up
• wipe out
• wreck