/ blæk; NAmE / adjective , noun , verb
■ adjective
( black·er , black·est )
COLOUR
1.
having the very darkest colour, like night or coal :
a shiny black car
black storm clouds
WITH NO LIGHT
2.
without light; completely dark :
a black night
PEOPLE
3.
(also Black ) belonging to a race of people who have dark skin; connected with black people :
a black woman writer
black culture
HELP NOTE : Black is the word most widely used and generally accepted in Britain. In the US the currently accepted term is African American .
TEA / COFFEE
4.
without milk :
Two black coffees, please.
—compare white
DIRTY
5.
very dirty; covered with dirt :
chimneys black with smoke
Go and wash your hands; they're absolutely black!
ANGRY
6.
full of anger or hatred :
She's been in a really black mood all day.
Rory shot her a black look.
DEPRESSING
7.
without hope; very depressing :
The future looks pretty black.
It's been another black day for the north-east with the announcement of further job losses.
EVIL
8.
( literary ) evil or immoral :
black deeds / lies
HUMOUR
9.
dealing with unpleasant or terrible things, such as murder, in a humorous way :
'Good place to bury the bodies,' she joked with black humour .
The play is a black comedy .
► black·ness noun [ U , sing. ]:
She peered out into the blackness of the night.
•
IDIOMS
- (beat sb) black and blue
- not as black as he / she / it is painted
—more at pot noun
■ noun
COLOUR
1.
[ U ] the very darkest colour, like night or coal :
the black of the night sky
Everyone at the funeral was dressed in black.
PEOPLE
2.
(also Black ) [ C , usually pl. ] a member of a race of people who have dark skin
HELP NOTE : In this meaning black is more common in the plural. It can sound offensive in the singular. Instead, you can use the adjective ('a black man / woman') or, in the US, African American .
•
IDIOMS
- be in the black
- black and white
- in black and white
- (in) black and white
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
( BrE ) to refuse to deal with goods or to do business with sb as a political protest
SYN boycott :
The unions have blacked all imports from the country.
2.
to make sth black
SYN blacken
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- black out
- black sth out
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English blæc , of Germanic origin.