/ blæŋk; NAmE / adjective , noun , verb
■ adjective
1.
empty, with nothing written, printed or recorded on it :
Sign your name in the blank space below.
a blank CD
Write on one side of the paper and leave the other side blank.
She turned to a blank page in her notebook.
2.
( of a wall or screen ) empty; with no pictures, marks or decoration :
blank whitewashed walls
Suddenly the screen went blank .
3.
showing no feeling, understanding or interest :
She stared at me with a blank expression on her face.
Steve looked blank and said he had no idea what I was talking about.
Suddenly my mind went blank (= I could not remember anything).
4.
[ only before noun ] ( of negative things ) complete and total :
a blank refusal / denial
—see also point-blank
► blank·ly adverb :
She stared blankly into space, not knowing what to say next.
► blank·ness noun [ U ]
■ noun
1.
[ C ] an empty space on a printed form or document for you to write answers, information, etc. in :
Please fill in the blanks .
If you can't answer the question, leave a blank.
2.
[ sing. ] a state of not being able to remember anything :
My mind was a blank and I couldn't remember her name.
3.
[ C ] (also ˌblank ˈcartridge ) a cartridge in a gun that contains an explosive but no bullet :
The troops fired blanks in the air.
•
IDIOMS
see draw verb
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] ( BrE , informal ) to ignore sb completely :
I saw her on the bus this morning, but she totally blanked me.
2.
[ v ] ( NAmE ) to be suddenly unable to remember or think of sth :
I knew the answer, but I totally blanked during the test.
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- blank out
- blank sth out
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense white, colourless ): from Old French blanc white, ultimately of Germanic origin.