point-blank

[ point-blangk ]

/ ˈpɔɪntˈblæŋk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR point-blank ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

aimed or fired straight at the mark especially from close range; direct.

straightforward, plain, or explicit: a point-blank denial.

adverb

with a direct aim; directly; straight.

bluntly; frankly: She told him point-blank that he was not welcome.

Nearby words

Origin of point-blank

First recorded in 1565–75

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

Examples from the Web for point-blank

I come back to the way the older man at the book fair asked his question so point-blank.
Who Has the Right to Write About War?|Emily Gray Tedrowe|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She shot her at point-blank range in the back of the head while out looking at flowers.
'The Grove': Was The Walking Dead's Latest Shocker a Mistake?|Melissa Leon|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If she had been trying to kill him, she had been at point-blank range.
Rev. Jesse Jackson on the Next Trayvon Martin|Ben Jacobs|July 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In it, a riot cop blasts her in the face at point-blank range with tear gas.
Turkish Protesters Are Entrenched as Protests Continue|Mike Giglio|June 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

I finally asked Pearce point-blank if he made up the post; he laughed and denied it.
What’s the Truth Behind the Viral Post About a Gay Christian Teen?|Jesse Singal|April 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He had a pistol in his hand, and no sooner did his gaze fall on me than he levelled the weapon at me and fired it point-blank.
A Middy of the Slave Squadron|Harry Collingwood
The second shot had gone clear through her skull, and, being fired at point-blank distance, had almost blown her head off.
The Boy With the U. S. Foresters|Francis Rolt-Wheeler
For some minutes the Canadian seemed considerably embarrassed; this point-blank question troubled him singularly.
The White Scalper|Gustave Aimard
Three powerful monitors were to oppose him at point-blank range.
The Civil War Through the Camera|Henry W. (Henry William) Elson
Oh, mother, do you not see you've told him point-blank that it's all settled?
Bylow Hill|George Washington Cable

British Dictionary definitions for point-blank

point-blank

adjective

aimed or fired at a target so close that it is unnecessary to make allowance for the drop in the course of the projectile
permitting such aim or fire without loss of accuracyat point-blank range

plain or blunta point-blank question

adverb

directly or straight

plainly or bluntly

Word Origin for point-blank

C16: from point + blank (in the sense: centre spot of an archery target)

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 point-blank

point-blank

1570s, from point (v.) + blank (n.), the white center of a target. The notion is of standing close enough to aim (point) at the blank without allowance for curve, windage, or gravity. From 1590s as an adjective.