in the dark
Idioms-
In secret, in concealment, as in This agreement was concluded in the dark . [Early 1600s]
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In a state of ignorance, uninformed, as in I was in the dark about their plans . This metaphor often appears in the locution keep someone in the dark , meaning “deliberately keep someone uninformed,” as in They kept me in the dark about their plans . [Late 1600s] For an antonym, see in the know .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For 20 minutes I lay alone, in the dark, mulling over what I’d been told.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
But occasionally, snobs don’t have a choice, such as when they’re sitting in the dark of a movie theater, where the viewer assumes the role of the spectator.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Tech leaders say it’s sometimes a shot in the dark knowing what the limit should be for a given job title, and even harder to know when to extend or enforce that limit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
When Rassie said he wanted to pick me, I was in the dark.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
They passed through the squares, crossing bridges over the moonlit canals in the dark.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
