blot

[ blot ]

/ blɒt /

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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, 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.

SYNONYMS 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

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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

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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

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

Definition 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

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. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for blot

The Iraq war left a lasting blot on transatlantic relations.
Europeans haven’t felt this poorly about America since the start of the Iraq War|Annabelle Timsit|September 17, 2020|Quartz
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

Medical definitions for blot

blot

[ blŏt ]

n.

The Northern, Southern, or Western blot analyses.

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blot

noun

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