(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Someone who is ~ is unable to see because their eyes are damaged.
I started helping him run the business when he went ~...
ADJ
•
The ~ are people who are ~.
He was a teacher of the ~.
N-PLURAL: the N
~ness
Early diagnosis and treatment can usually prevent ~ness.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
If something ~s you, it makes you unable to see, either for a short time or permanently.
The sun hit the windscreen, momentarily ~ing him.
VERB: V n
3.
If you are ~ with something such as tears or a bright light, you are unable to see for a short time because of the tears or light.
Her mother groped for the back of the chair, her eyes ~ with tears.
ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ with n
~ly
Lettie groped ~ly for the glass.
ADV
4.
If you say that someone is ~ to a fact or a situation, you mean that they ignore it or are unaware of it, although you think that they should take notice of it or be aware of it.
All the time I was ~ to your suffering.
ADJ: v-link ADJ to n disapproval
~ness
...~ness in government policy to the very existence of the unemployed.
N-UNCOUNT
5.
If something ~s you to the real situation, it prevents you from realizing that it exists or from understanding it properly.
He never allowed his love of Australia to ~ him to his countrymen’s faults.
VERB: V n to n
6.
You can describe someone’s beliefs or actions as ~ when you think that they seem to take no notice of important facts or behave in an unreasonable way.
...her ~ faith in the wisdom of the Church...
Lesley yelled at him with ~, hating rage.
ADJ: usu ADJ n disapproval
7.
A ~ corner is one that you cannot see round because something is blocking your view.
He tried to overtake three cars on a ~ corner and crashed head-on into a lorry.
ADJ: ADJ n
8.
A ~ is a roll of cloth or paper which you can pull down over a window as a covering.
N-COUNT
see also Venetian ~
9.
see also ~ing , ~ly , colour-~
10.
If you say that someone is turning a ~ eye to something bad or illegal that is happening, you mean that you think they are pretending not to notice that it is happening so that they will not have to do anything about it.
Teachers are turning a ~ eye to pupils smoking at school, a report reveals today...
PHRASE: V inflects disapproval