in the dark

Idioms  

1. In secret, in concealment, as in This agreement was concluded in the dark . [Early 1600s]

2. 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 .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in the dark

There are films that so closely resemble other films that they amount to something like cinematic plagiarism, and you may find yourself sitting in the dark being as baffled as Peter: Am I missing something?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

She used tracer dye to make the fake bile glow in the dark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Chinese state media and social media users lined up to lambast Mbappe, although they were left in the dark about what exactly he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

She said tenants had received a warning letter from a debt collection agency about three weeks earlier but had since been "left in the dark" about the situation.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Would I be able to find my way back to my grandparents’ house in the dark from the alfalfa field?

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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