point-blank
Americanadjective
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aimed or fired straight at the mark especially from close range; direct.
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straightforward, plain, or explicit.
a point-blank denial.
adverb
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with a direct aim; directly; straight.
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bluntly; frankly.
She told him point-blank that he was not welcome.
adjective
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aimed or fired at a target so close that it is unnecessary to make allowance for the drop in the course of the projectile
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permitting such aim or fire without loss of accuracy
at point-blank range
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plain or blunt
a point-blank question
adverb
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directly or straight
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plainly or bluntly
Etymology
Origin of point-blank
First recorded in 1565–75
Explanation
A point-blank shot is fired from very near its target, and a point-blank statement is blunt and straightforward. During an old-fashioned gun duel, people would settle an argument by shooting at each other point-blank. The original meaning of point-blank, "close enough to hit the center of the target," definitely comes from French, although its origin is a bit of a mystery. Some think the source is point blanc, "white point," referring to the white circle in the middle of a target. Others believe it stems from de pointe en blanc, "point in empty space," used to describe a test shot fired into the air.
Vocabulary lists containing point-blank
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.
He recalled chatting with Graham one day and asking him point-blank why he had backed Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
She’s 28 now—it’s been more than a decade since she wrote I Am Malala, about speaking out against the Taliban as a teenager and surviving being shot at point-blank range for it.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
The centre-back rose highest to meet Bruno Fernandes' corner but crashed his header off the crossbar from point-blank range.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
Craig Wright was just one of numerous players battering at the Quins line, before the ball found its way to Coles, who proved unstoppable from point-blank range.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2026
Promising to report the next morning at six o’clock, I walked home and pondered on what could possibly have been in the woman’s mind to have made her ask me point-blank if I stole.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
