blot

[ blot ]

/ blɒt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR blot 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, 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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of blot

1275–1325; (noun) Middle English blotte, akin to Old Norse blettr blot, spot, stain; (v.) late Middle English blotten, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR blot

1 blotch, ink stain.

2 stain, taint, dishonor, disgrace, spot.

4 sully, disfigure.

5 obliterate, efface, erase, expunge.

7 absorb.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR blot ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsblot·less, adjectiveblot·ting·ly, adverbblot·ty, adjectiveun·blot·ted, adjective

Definition for blot (2 of 2)

blot

[ 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

1590–1600; < Low German blat, akin to bloot bare, exposed, unprotected; cognate with Dutch bloot, German bloss bare

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

Examples from the Web for blot

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
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

There is only one exception, only one blot on the page, only one dark spot on the register.
The King's Cup-Bearer|Amy Catherine Walton
You think a chintz kerchief can conceal the blot of the nobleman from the eyes of the people?
Mother|Maksim Gorky
She was willing to blot out the offence, as a thing by itself, in an island of her life,—of which no one should ever think again.
Ralph the Heir|Anthony Trollope
The feudal king-lord was but first among peers, and very few noble houses could display a scutcheon free from the blot of treason.
The Siege of Norwich Castle|Matilda Maria Blake
Yet even among the poems which he had published with his name, were some, "which dying" he well might "wish to blot."
Robert Burns|Principal Shairp.

British Dictionary definitions for blot (1 of 2)

blot

/ (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)

blot

/ (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

Word Origin and History for blot (1 of 2)

blot

late 14c., originally "blemish," perhaps from Old Norse blettr "blot, stain," or from Old French blot, variant of bloc "block," or blestre "blister, lump, clump of earth."

Word Origin and History for blot (1 of 2)

blot

early 15c., "to make blots;" mid-15c. "to blot out, obliterate" (words), from blot (n.). Related: Blotted; blotting.

blot

noun

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

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

Verb Phrases

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of blot

Definition for blot (2 of 2)

blot

noun

Origin of blot

Examples from the Web for blot

British Dictionary definitions for blot (1 of 2)

blot

noun

verb blots, blotting or blotted

Word Origin for blot

British Dictionary definitions for blot (2 of 2)

blot

noun

Word Origin for blot

Word Origin and History for blot (1 of 2)

blot

Word Origin and History for blot (1 of 2)

blot

Medicine definitions for blot

blot

n.