What does "blank" mean?
A small French coin, originally of silver, afterwards of copper, worth 5 deniers; also a silver coin of Henry V current in the parts of France then held by the English, worth about 8 pence .
Blank
/blæŋk/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small French coin, originally of silver, afterwards of copper, worth 5 deniers; also a silver coin of Henry V current in the parts of France then held by the English, worth about 8 pence .
- Grammar: blank is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: space, absence, absolute, aloof.
- Useful contrasts: live, erased mark, floral statement print.
- Usage evidence: My memory is blank on the subject.
How to use "blank"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "blank" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "blank" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "blank" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "blank" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "blank" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "space" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small French coin, originally of silver, afterwards of copper, worth 5 deniers; also a silver coin of Henry V current in the parts of France then held by the English, worth about 8 pence . archaic, historical, obsolete
"Whosoeuer brought a fagot before the kynges tent, he shulde haue a blanke of Fraunce."
- 2 a cartridge containing an explosive charge but no bullet wordnet
- 3 A nonplus [16th century]. obsolete
- 4 a piece of material ready to be made into something wordnet
- 5 The white spot in the centre of a target; hence (figuratively) the object to which anything is directed or aimed, the range of such aim .
"Des. […] And stood within the blank of his displeasure / For my free speech! (Act III, scene 11)"
Show 21 more definitions
- 6 a blank gap or missing part wordnet
- 7 A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no prize is indicated [since the 16th century].
"[…] and in Fortune's Lottery lies / A heap of Blanks, like this, for one ſmall Prize."
- 8 a blank character used to separate successive words in writing or printing wordnet
- 9 An empty space; a void, for example on a paper .; A space to be filled in on a form or template.
"Write your answers in the blanks."
- 10 An empty space; a void, for example on a paper .; Provisional words printed in italics (instead of blank spaces) in a bill before Parliament, being matters of practical detail, of which the final form is to be settled in committee .
- 11 A document, paper, or form with spaces left blank to be filled in at the pleasure of the person to whom it is given (e.g. a blank charter, ballot, form, contract, etc.), or as the event may determine; a blank form . US
"[…] and the freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and their dissent by a blank."
- 12 A document, paper, or form with spaces left blank to be filled in at the pleasure of the person to whom it is given (e.g. a blank charter, ballot, form, contract, etc.), or as the event may determine; a blank form .; An empty form without substance; anything insignificant; nothing at all . US
- 13 A document, paper, or form with spaces left blank to be filled in at the pleasure of the person to whom it is given (e.g. a blank charter, ballot, form, contract, etc.), or as the event may determine; a blank form .; An unprinted leaf of a book [20th century]. US
- 14 Blank verse .
- 15 A piece of material roughly cut, forged, cast, etc. to the size and shape of the thing to be made, and ready for the finishing operations; (coining) the disc of metal before stamping .; Any article of glass on which subsequent processing is required [since the 19th century].
- 16 A piece of material roughly cut, forged, cast, etc. to the size and shape of the thing to be made, and ready for the finishing operations; (coining) the disc of metal before stamping .; The shaved wax ready for placing on a recording machine for making wax records with a stylus [20th century].
- 17 A vacant space, place, or period; a void [since the 17th century]. figuratively
"Du. And what's her hiſtory? Vio. A blanke my Lord:"
- 18 The ¹ / ₂₃₀₄₀₀ of a grain [17th century].
- 19 An empty space in one's memory; a forgotten item or memory [since the 18th century].
"My head is so ill that I cannot write a paper full as I used to do; and yet I will not forgive a blank of half an inch from you."
- 20 A dash written in place of an omitted letter or word
- 21 The space character; the character resulting from pressing the space bar on a keyboard.
- 22 A domino without points on one or both of its divisions.
"the double blank"
- 23 A tile that can be played as any letter and having a point value of zero.
- 24 Ellipsis of blank cartridge [since the 19th century]. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"It was an unloaded gun that fired only blanks."
- 25 An ineffective effort which achieves nothing [since the 20th century].; A sample for a control experiment that does not contain any of the analyte of interest, in order to deliberately produce a non-detection to verify that a detection is distinguishable from it. figuratively
- 26 An ineffective effort which achieves nothing [since the 20th century].; Infertile semen. figuratively, slang
Verb
- 1 To make void; to erase. transitive
"I blanked out my previous entry."
- 2 keep the opposing (baseball) team from winning wordnet
- 3 To ignore (a person) deliberately. slang, transitive
"She blanked me for no reason."
- 4 To render ineffective by blanketing with turbulent airflow, such as from aircraft wake or reverse thrust. transitive
"At high angles of attack, the shuttle’s rudder is blanked by the fuselage and wings, forcing it to use its RCS thrusters for yaw control."
- 5 To prevent from scoring; for example, in a sporting event. transitive
"The team was blanked."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To become blank. intransitive
"In OPS 6, the 2 EO color field does blank at SSME fine count. Once in fine count in route to an RTLS MECO, the energy state is such that one engine can carry the orbiter though powered pitch-down to a healthy MECO condition with standard RTLS guidance."
- 7 To experience a temporary lapse of memory; to be temporarily unable to remember a particular fact. (Commonly used in the first person, present progressive tense, and commonly followed by on to create a transitive phrasal verb.) informal, intransitive
"I’m blanking on her name right now."
Adjective
- 1 White or pale; without colour. archaic
"To the blanc Moone / Her office they preſcrib'd,"
- 2 Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be filled in.
"blank paper"
- 3 Lacking characteristics which give variety; uniform. figuratively
"a blank desert; a blank wall; blank unconsciousness"
- 4 Abject; absolute; complete; downright; sheer; utter.
"a blank refusal to cooperate"
- 5 Without expression, usually because of incomprehension. figuratively
"Failing to understand the question, he gave me a blank stare."
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- 6 Utterly confounded or discomfited.
"Adam […] Aſtonied ſtood and Blank,"
- 7 Empty; void; without result; fruitless; futile.
"a blank day"
- 8 Devoid of thoughts, memory, or inspiration.
"The shock left his memory blank."
- 9 Of ammunition: having propellant but no bullets; unbulleted.
"The recruits were issued blank rounds for a training exercise."
Adjective
- 1 complete and absolute wordnet
- 2 (of a surface) not written or printed on wordnet
- 3 not charged with a bullet wordnet
- 4 without comprehension wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
"The same preoccupation with developing a conceptual framework is evident in David Blank's Venezuela: Politics in a Petroleum Republic, a modified version of Blank's early theses."
- 2 Used as an anonymous placeholder for a person's name. dated
"Miss Compton, in 'Other People's Worries,' asks rhetorically whether a young rip was not in the Blank divorce case."
Antonyms
Example
"My memory is blank on the subject."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "blank"?
Common synonyms include: space, absence, absolute, aloof, arid, awayness.
How do you use "blank" in a sentence?
My memory is blank on the subject.
How do you pronounce "blank"?
Pronounced /blæŋk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Anglo-Norman blonc, blaunc, blaunche, from Old French blanc, feminine blanche, from Frankish *blank (“gleaming, white, blinding”), from Proto-Germanic *blankaz (“white, bright, blinding”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- (“to shine”). Akin to Old High German blanch (“shining, bright, white”) (German blank), Old English blanc (“white, grey”), blanca (“white steed”), Spanish blanco. More at blink, blind, blanch. Doublet of blanc.
Etymology 2
* As a Dutch and German surname, from the adjective blank (“shining, pale, white”). * As an English and Jewish surname, spelling variant of Blanc, Blanck.