blot

[ blot ]

/ blɒt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: blot / blotted on Thesaurus.com

noun

a spot or stain, especially of ink on paper.

a blemish on a person's character or reputation: He had been haunted by a blot on his past.

Archaic. an erasure or obliteration, as in a writing.

verb (used with object), blot·ted, blot·ting.

to spot, stain, soil, or the like.

to darken; make dim; obscure or eclipse (usually followed by out): We watched as the moon blotted out the sun.

to dry with absorbent paper or the like: to blot the wet pane.

to remove with absorbent paper or the like.

verb (used without object), blot·ted, blot·ting.

to make a blot; spread ink, dye, etc., in a stain: The more slowly I write, the more this pen blots.

to become blotted or stained: This paper blots too easily.

Chemistry. to transfer an array of separated components of a mixture to a chemically treated paper for analysis.Compare gel (def. 4), gel electrophoresis.

Verb Phrases

blot out,

to make indistinguishable; obliterate: to blot out a name from the record.
to wipe out completely; destroy: Whole cities were blotted out by bombs.

OTHER WORDS FOR blot

1 blotch, ink stain.

2 stain, taint, dishonor, disgrace, spot.

4 sully, disfigure.

5 obliterate, efface, erase, expunge.

7 absorb.

See synonyms for blot on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of blot

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun blot(te); orign uncertain; perhaps akin to Old Norse blettr “blot, spot, stain”; the verb is derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM blot

blotless, adjectiveblot·ting·ly, adverbblotty, adjectiveun·blot·ted, adjective

Words nearby blot

blootered, bloquiste, blossom, blossom-end rot, blossom into, blot, blot analysis, blotch, blotch printing, blotchy, blot out

Other definitions for blot (2 of 2)

blot²

[ blot ]

/ blɒt /

noun

Backgammon. an exposed piece liable to be taken or forfeited.

Archaic. an exposed or weak point, as in an argument or course of action.

Origin of blot

First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain; perhaps from Low German blat, akin to bloot “bare, exposed, unprotected”; possibly cognate with Dutch bloot, German bloss bare

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use blot in a sentence

Here’s the nutshell bio that Gary sent me last night — after I discovered that he’d gotten that 500th blot of ink.
Style Conversational Week 1443: The Ballad of Gary Crockett|Pat Myers|July 1, 2021|Washington Post
Like a catalogue of Rorschach ink blots, his oeuvre generates orgies of idle speculation and elaborate projection.
Dawoud Bey, Jasper Johns and ‘Automania’ are among the many compelling reasons to visit museums this summer|Sebastian Smee|June 11, 2021|Washington Post
Back in 2015, the Empress ran a contest that Loser William Verkuilen remembers fondly, having gotten a couple of blots of ink out of it in Week 1155.
The Style Invitational: A bug’s laugh — cicada ‘art’ winners|Pat Myers|June 3, 2021|Washington Post
There’s one subset of Novel Interpretations of our Staake contest that’s unlikely ever to win the whole thing, but almost always results in a blot of ink for one or two Losers.
Style Conversational Week 1429: Look again|Pat Myers|March 25, 2021|Washington Post

It’s the fifth Style Invitational win — and 382nd blot in all — for Dave Prevar, but it’s his first Clowning Achievement trophy.
Style Conversational Week 1429: Look again|Pat Myers|March 25, 2021|Washington Post
Like Amalek, the Biblical evil-doer whose name we are enjoined to “blot out.”
How Do We Deal with the Baseless Hatred at the Western Wall?|Emily L. Hauser|July 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But we must remember not only to not forget, but to blot out the enemy—not mercifully, but through genocide.
How To Take Purim Seriously|Shaul Magid|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The scandal was “a serious blot on my reputation,” he complained to Leveson.
Rupert Murdoch Bares Media’s Reach to Leveson Inquiry on Phone Hacking|Nicholas Wapshott|April 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Think of its twisted outline as a Rorschach blot for a society—maybe a civilization.
A Disaster's Silver Lining|Bill McKibben|April 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The speech did irreparable damage to Powell's reputation, and he has since called it "a blot on his record."
A Video History of U.N. Outbursts|The Daily Beast Video|September 22, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I am, I am he that blot out thy iniquities for my own sake, and I will not remember thy sins.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
It needs better evidence to stamp this solitary suggestion of a blot on the clear scutcheon of Douglas.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
Men surged forward to close in and blot out the glow from the killer's fingers.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
It is the blot on Richard Feverel, for instance, that it begins to end well; and then tricks you and ends ill.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
The failure to recognize the sanctity of marriage is the great blot on the system of Confucius as a scheme of morals.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord

British Dictionary definitions for blot (1 of 2)

blot¹

/ (blɒt) /

noun

a stain or spot of ink, paint, dirt, etc

something that spoils or detracts from the beauty or worth of something

a blemish or stain on one's character or reputation

verb blots, blotting or blotted

(of ink, dye, etc) to form spots or blobs on (a material) or (of a person) to cause such spots or blobs to form on (a material)

blot one's copybook informal to spoil one's reputation by making a mistake, offending against social customs, etc

(intr) to stain or become stained or spotted

(tr) to cause a blemish in or on; disgrace

to soak up (excess ink, etc) by using blotting paper or some other absorbent material

(of blotting paper or some other absorbent material) to absorb (excess ink, etc)

(tr often foll by out)

to darken or hide completely; obscure; obliterate
to destroy; annihilate

Word Origin for blot

C14: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch bluyster blister

British Dictionary definitions for blot (2 of 2)

blot²

/ (blɒt) /

noun

backgammon a man exposed by being placed alone on a point and therefore able to be taken by the other player

archaic a weak spot

Word Origin for blot

C16: perhaps from Middle Dutch bloot poor

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

blot

OTHER WORDS FOR blot

Origin of blot

OTHER WORDS FROM blot

Words nearby blot

Other definitions for blot (2 of 2)

Origin of blot

Words related to blot

How to use blot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for blot (1 of 2)

Word Origin for blot

British Dictionary definitions for blot (2 of 2)

Word Origin for blot