What does "blind" mean?
A movable covering for a window to keep out light, made of cloth or of narrow slats that can block light or allow it to pass.
Blind
/blaɪnd/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A movable covering for a window to keep out light, made of cloth or of narrow slats that can block light or allow it to pass.
- Grammar: blind is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abacinate, ableptical, absolutely, abstruse.
- Useful contrasts: sighted, argusianus, aware.
- Usage evidence: Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.
How to use "blind"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "blind" 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 "blind" 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 "blind" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "blind" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- 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 "blind" is acting as adj, adv, 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 "abacinate" 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.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "blind", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A movable covering for a window to keep out light, made of cloth or of narrow slats that can block light or allow it to pass.
"A blind bearing the monogram G.V.T. is pulled down over the waiting room window as if still in mourning for the passing of the railway."
- 2 a protective covering that keeps things out or hinders sight wordnet
- 3 A destination sign mounted on a public transport vehicle displaying the route destination, number, name and/or via points, etc.
- 4 a hiding place sometimes used by hunters (especially duck hunters) wordnet
- 5 A place where people can hide in order to observe wildlife.
"a duck blind"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity wordnet
- 7 Something to mislead the eye or the understanding, or to conceal some covert deed or design; a subterfuge, deception.
- 8 people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group wordnet
- 9 A blindage.
- 10 A hiding place.
"So, when the watchful shepherd, from the blind, Wounds with a random shaft the careless hind"
- 11 The blindside. colloquial
- 12 No score. slang
- 13 A forced bet: the small blind or the big blind.
"The blinds are $10 and $20, and the ante is $1."
- 14 A player who is forced to pay such a bet.
"The blinds immediately folded when I reraised."
Verb
- 1 To make temporarily or permanently blind. transitive
"The light was so bright that for a moment he was blinded."
- 2 make dim by comparison or conceal wordnet
- 3 To curse, swear, use foul language informal
"If you’re cast for fatigue by a sergeant unkind, Don’t grouse like a woman, nor crack on, nor blind; Be handy and civil, and then you will find That it’s beer for the young British soldier."
- 4 make blind by putting the eyes out wordnet
- 5 To darken; to obscure to the eye or understanding; to conceal.
"He ſought, but in the dark tempeſtuous Night He knew not whither to direct his Sight. So whirl the Seas, ſuch Darkneſs blinds the Sky, That the black Night receives a deeper Dye."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 render unable to see wordnet
- 7 To cover with a thin coating of sand and fine gravel, for example a road newly paved, in order that the joints between the stones may be filled.
Adjective
- 1 Unable to see, or only partially able to see. not-comparable
"Even a blind hen sometimes finds a grain of corn."
- 2 Failing to recognize, acknowledge or perceive. comparable
"The lovers were blind to each other’s faults."
- 3 Having little or no visibility. not-comparable
"a blind path"
- 4 Closed at one end; having a dead end; exitless. not-comparable
"a blind alley"
- 5 Having no openings for light or passage; both dark and exitless. not-comparable
"a blind wall"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 Able to be fixed without access to one end. not-comparable
"a blind rivet"
- 7 Smallest or slightest. in-certain-phrases
"I shouted, but he didn’t take a blind bit of notice."
- 8 Without any prior knowledge. not-comparable
"He took a blind guess at which fork in the road would take him to the airport."
- 9 Unconditional; without regard to evidence, logic, reality, accidental mistakes, extenuating circumstances, etc. not-comparable
"blind deference"
- 10 Using blinded study design, wherein information is purposely limited to prevent bias.
"a blind trial"
- 11 Unintelligible or illegible.
"a blind passage in a book; blind writing"
- 12 not having a well-defined head.
"There it was, right in the middle of my forehead - the biggest, blindest, reddest pimple I'd ever seen, just hanging there like a limpet mine."
- 13 Abortive; failing to produce flowers or fruit.
"blind buds"
- 14 Uncircumcised. slang
Adjective
- 1 unable or unwilling to perceive or understand wordnet
- 2 not based on reason or evidence wordnet
- 3 unable to see wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Without seeing; unseeingly.
"It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness."
- 2 Absolutely, totally. colloquial
"to swear blind"
- 3 Without looking at the cards dealt.
- 4 As a pastry case only, without any filling. especially, in-compounds
"Blind bake your pie case for fifteen minutes, then add the filling. This will help avoid a “soggy bottom”."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "blind"?
Common synonyms include: abacinate, ableptical, absolutely, abstruse, alibi, amaurotic.
How do you use "blind" in a sentence?
Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.
How do you pronounce "blind"?
Pronounced /blaɪnd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English blynd, from Old English blind, from Proto-West Germanic *blind, from Proto-Germanic *blindaz.
Etymology 2
English, German, and Jewish/Yiddish surname, all related to the adjective blind.