draw a blank

Idioms  

1. Fail to find or remember something, as in He looks familiar but I've drawn a blank on his name. This expression alludes to drawing a lottery ticket with nothing on it (so one cannot win a prize). [Early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

draw a blank

When I draw a blank, I don’t ask it to fill in the gap for me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

This is why, whenever anyone asks me about favorite family dishes, I usually draw a blank and ask if Pepperidge Farm cookies count as a response.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2023

But where he can remember more and more of his friend Byron — an amateur survivalist whose name the protagonist recalls far earlier than his own — his wife’s face continues to draw a blank.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2022

Around here, discerning diners can rattle off names of chefs and even pastry chefs from the top mainstream restaurants, but when it comes to great ramen or pho, most draw a blank.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2018

And in the silence, of course, you can hear a pin drop. draw a blank.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Related Words

• lose consciousness
• pass out