blank
blank — adjective
- blankpositive
- blankercomparative
- blankestsuperlative
1. describing a surface such as paper, a screen, or a tape that has nothing written
describing a surface such as paper, a screen, or a tape that has nothing written, drawn, recorded, or printed on it.
Lior tore a blank page from her notebook and started drawing the cat.
blank + noun (page) — most typical pairing
The teacher handed each child a blank sheet of paper for the spelling test.
blank sheet of paper — common school context
When Uri pressed play, the cassette was completely blank.
predicate use after linking verb
Theo's computer screen went blank in the middle of her video call.
go blank — sudden loss of display
Please leave the last two boxes on the form blank if they do not apply to you.
leave + noun + blank — instruction pattern
- blank page
- blank screen
- blank sheet of paper
- leave blank
- go blank
- blank tape
- blank form
Grammar Patterns
blank + noun (page, screen, form, tape)
Usage Note
Frequently used before nouns naming surfaces or storage media (page, sheet, screen, tape, CD, form). When the subject becomes blank suddenly, prefer 'go blank' over 'be blank'.
Common Mistakes
2. describing a person's face or eyes when they show no feeling, no understanding,
describing a person's face or eyes when they show no feeling, no understanding, and no reaction at all — as if the mind behind them has nothing to share.
When the police asked about the missing money, Uri gave them a completely blank stare.
blank stare — most idiomatic collocation
The students returned blank looks when Ms. Tariq asked who had read chapter four.
blank look — signals no understanding
Theo's face went blank the moment she heard her grandfather had died.
go blank — sudden emotional shutdown
Mateo kept his expression carefully blank during the long interview.
kept + expression + blank — deliberate control
- blank look
- blank stare
- blank expression
- blank face
- go blank
- expressionless
more neutral; just the absence of any visible feeling
- vacant
stronger; suggests the mind is far away or empty
- deadpan
deliberate flatness, often for comic effect
- expressive
showing thoughts and feelings clearly
- animated
lively, full of movement and feeling
Grammar Patterns
blank + look/stare/expression/face
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense applies only to faces, eyes, looks, stares, or expressions, not to surfaces. Often signals either confusion (no understanding) or shock (no emotion); context decides which.
Common Mistakes
3. complete and leaving no room for argument — used before a noun like refusal or d
complete and leaving no room for argument — used before a noun like refusal or denial to stress that there are no exceptions or qualifications.
The mayor met every reporter's question with a blank refusal to comment.
blank refusal — fixed before-noun collocation
Mateo's request for a pay rise was met with a blank denial from his boss.
blank denial — flat, uncompromising rejection
The committee gave the proposal a blank rejection without even reading it.
blank + rejection — formal register
The landlord issued a blank refusal when Lior asked to keep a small dog in the flat.
issue + a blank refusal — active-voice frame
- blank refusal
- blank denial
- blank rejection
Grammar Patterns
blank + abstract noun (refusal, denial)
Usage Note
Only used before a noun, never after a linking verb (you cannot say 'the refusal was blank'). Almost always pairs with refusal, denial, or rejection; other nouns sound unnatural.
Common Mistakes
a blank canvas/slate
idiomSomething or someone that can be shaped, changed, or developed in many possible ways.
Mia's new apartment was a blank canvas for her creative decorating ideas.
After the accident, his mind was a blank slate, and he had to relearn everything.
blank — verb
- blankpresent simple I / you / we / they
- blanks3rd person singular
- blanking-ing form
- blankedpast simple
1. to deliberately treat a person you know as if they were invisible — refusing to
to deliberately treat a person you know as if they were invisible — refusing to greet them, look at them, or talk to them, usually to show anger or disapproval.
After their argument, Theo blanked Uri completely at the office party.
blank + person — direct snub
Mateo waved at his old classmate across the street, but she just blanked him.
informal British register
Lior felt hurt when her best friend blanked her at the school gate.
emotional impact of being blanked
The actor blanked every reporter who tried to ask about his divorce.
blank + group of people
- blank someone
- completely blanked
- blanked at
- acknowledge
to greet or recognise someone
- greet
to say hello in a friendly way
Grammar Patterns
blank + somebody
Usage Note
Common in informal British English; less natural in American English, where 'snub' or 'ignore' is preferred. The object is always a person — you cannot blank an idea, a request, or an email.
Common Mistakes
2. to suddenly find that your mind has gone empty so you cannot remember what you w
to suddenly find that your mind has gone empty so you cannot remember what you were about to say or do, especially in a stressful moment.
Lior completely blanked when the judge asked her to spell 'rhinoceros' on stage.
blank — sudden memory failure
Mateo blanked halfway through his wedding speech and had to read from his notes.
intransitive use mid-action
I blanked on her name the second I saw her at the party.
blank on + thing forgotten
Theo blanked during the driving test and forgot which pedal was the brake.
intransitive blank under stress
- blank on
- completely blank
- totally blank
- freeze
stronger; suggests panic stops you completely
- forget
wider; doesn't carry the sudden mental-empty feel
- draw a blank
set phrase; same idea but always with 'draw'
Grammar Patterns
subject + blank (no object)
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1 (the transitive 'shut out' sense): this sense takes no person as object. Often followed by 'on + thing forgotten' (blanked on her name, blanked on the answer).
Common Mistakes
3. in sports such as baseball, basketball, or hockey, to beat the other team while
in sports such as baseball, basketball, or hockey, to beat the other team while keeping their final score at zero.
The Tigers blanked the Lions 7-0 in last night's playoff game.
blank + team + score — typical sports headline pattern
Pitcher Uri Reyes blanked the visiting team for all nine innings.
subject = pitcher, object = team
Toronto blanked Boston twice in the same week, much to the fans' delight.
team-vs-team passive sense
Goalie Mateo Reyes blanked the opposing forwards with thirty-two saves on Saturday night.
subject = goalie, with + save count detail
- blank the opposition
- blanked + score
- blank the visiting team
- concede
to allow the opponent to score
Grammar Patterns
blank + team / opponent
Usage Note
Mainly American sports journalism; British sports reporters tend to say 'kept a clean sheet against' for football. The object is the losing team or its players, never the winning side.
Common Mistakes
blank — noun
- blanksingular
- blanksplural
1. an empty area on a piece of paper or a form, often shown by a line or box, where
an empty area on a piece of paper or a form, often shown by a line or box, where you are expected to write your answer or details.
Please write your full name and date of birth in the blanks at the top of the form.
blanks on a form — most common context
The grammar exercise had ten blanks for students to fill in with the correct verb.
fill in + blanks — set teaching pattern
Uri left several blanks because he did not know the answers.
leave + blanks — when answers are missing
The application had a small blank near the bottom for Theo's signature.
blank as a labelled signature slot
- fill in the blanks
- leave a blank
- blanks on a form
Grammar Patterns
fill in the blanks
leave a blank
Usage Note
Almost always plural in classroom contexts ('fill in the blanks'). The fixed phrase 'fill in the blanks' is also used figuratively to mean 'work out the missing details' even outside writing.
Common Mistakes
2. a gap in your memory or knowledge — a place where information that should be the
a gap in your memory or knowledge — a place where information that should be there is missing, so you cannot recall facts, ideas, or events.
After the car accident, Lior's memory of that morning was a complete blank.
memory + blank — classic context
Mateo drew a blank when the quiz host asked the capital of Mongolia.
draw a blank — set idiom
The witness apologised for the blank in her account of what happened.
blank in + abstract noun
My mind went blank during the maths exam, and I just sat staring at the page.
mind + go + blank — adjective use linked to this noun sense
- draw a blank
- memory blank
- complete blank
- memory
the information that is preserved in the mind
Grammar Patterns
a blank in (memory / knowledge)
Usage Note
Often appears in fixed expressions like 'draw a blank' (fail to find an answer) and 'mind goes blank' (sudden memory failure under pressure). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is mental, not physical.
Common Mistakes
3. a piece of metal, wood, or plastic that has been roughly shaped and now waits to
a piece of metal, wood, or plastic that has been roughly shaped and now waits to be cut, stamped, or polished into its finished form, for example into a house key or a coin.
The locksmith chose a brass blank that matched the shape of Lior's old key.
key blank — most common product
Mateo watched the worker stamp a coin design onto each shiny metal blank.
metal blank → coin
The factory produced thousands of plastic blanks that would later become hairbrush handles.
blank as intermediate product
Each wooden blank passed through three machines before becoming a finished chess piece.
blank → finished item pipeline
- key blank
- metal blank
- wooden blank
- stamp a blank
- finished product
the completed item the blank becomes
Grammar Patterns
a blank for + final product
Usage Note
A trade or technical word; you will mostly see it in locksmithing, coin minting, and small-scale manufacturing. Often used with the material as a modifier ('a brass blank', 'a wooden blank') to make the meaning clear.
4. a small bullet-shaped cartridge fired from a gun that produces a loud bang and a
a small bullet-shaped cartridge fired from a gun that produces a loud bang and a flash, yet holds no actual bullet inside, so nothing flies out of the barrel.
The film crew loaded the actor's pistol with blanks for the chase scene.
load + with + blanks — film production context
Soldiers practise battlefield drills using blanks instead of live rounds.
blanks vs live rounds contrast
The starter pistol fired a blank to signal the beginning of the race.
starter pistol — sports context
Even though the rifle held only blanks, Lior jumped at the loud bang.
safety surprise — blanks are still loud
- fire blanks
- load with blanks
- blank cartridge
- starter pistol blank
- blank cartridge
fuller technical term; same thing
- dummy round
different; dummy rounds make no bang either
- live round
a real cartridge with a bullet inside
Grammar Patterns
fire / shoot blanks
Usage Note
Almost always plural ('blanks') because guns are loaded with several at a time. Despite the harmless name, blanks can still injure or kill at very close range — point them away from people.
Common Mistakes
draw a blank
idiomto try to remember or find something but fail completely, so your mind or your search returns nothing useful.
Detective Reyes drew a blank when she searched the database for the suspect's fingerprints.
Lior drew a blank in the spelling bee and had to sit down silently.
blank check
idiomcomplete freedom to spend money or take action however you wish, with no limits set in advance by the person who gave you that permission.
The new manager was given a blank check to restructure the entire sales team.
Voters rarely want to hand any politician a blank check on tax policy.
fire blanks
idiomto make an effort that produces lots of noise or activity but no real result, often used jokingly when someone keeps trying without success.
The striker had four shots on goal but seemed to be firing blanks all evening.
Mateo felt he was firing blanks at every job interview that month.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
All four words describe something that has nothing on or in it, but the focus differs. 'Blank' centres on the surface — a page, screen, or tape that has no writing, image, or recording. 'Empty' is the widest word: it can describe a box, a room, a fridge, or a stomach, anywhere that should hold something but does not. 'Unused' shifts the focus to history rather than appearance — an unused notebook may have lines printed on it, but no one has written there yet. 'Clean' is informal and often suggests freshly wiped: a clean whiteboard has just been erased; a clean disk has been formatted. Compare: 'a blank cassette' (no recording), 'an empty drawer' (nothing inside), 'an unused stamp' (never sent), 'a clean copy' (no marks left from previous use).
Common collocations
Nouns
- blank page
- blank screen
- blank look
- blank stare
- blank face
- blank check
- blank space
Adverbs
- completely blank
- totally blank
- almost blank
- perfectly blank
Phrases
- fill in the blanks
- draw a blank
- go blank
- leave blank
- fire blanks
Prepositions
- blank on (a question, a name)
- blank in (one's memory, a form)
Etymology
The word 'blank' came into English in the late 1300s from Old French 'blanc', meaning 'white' or 'shining', which itself was borrowed from a Frankish root related to 'bright' and 'shining'. The early English use described pale or white surfaces, especially white sheets of paper. From the idea of a white, unmarked page came the modern senses of 'empty of writing' and, by extension, 'empty of expression' on a face or 'empty of thought' in the mind. The noun and verb senses developed later, all keeping the core image of an unmarked, unused space.