black out

1. Extinguish all lights. For example, The whole town was asleep, as blacked out as London during the war . In the early 1900s this expression alluded to the lights in a theater, but from about 1940 on it meant darkening an entire city to hide it from enemy bombers.

2. Obliterate with black, as in crossing out words on a page or print on a screen. For example, They have blacked out all the obscene words in the subtitles to make this movie suitable for youngsters . This usage may be derived from an earlier meaning, “to stain or defame,” which dates from the 15th century (and probably alludes to “blackening” a person's reputation). [Mid-1800s]

3. Lose consciousness, faint; also, experience a temporary loss of memory. For example, I couldn't remember a single note of the music; I blacked out completely , or The accused man claims he blacked out after his first drink . This usage is thought to have originated with pilots, who sometimes fainted briefly when pulling out of a power dive. It soon was transferred to other losses of consciousness or memory. [c. 1940]

Example Sentences

“I pretty much blacked out as soon as I saw it go over the fence,” Volpe said.

From Los Angeles Times

She also said she “blacked out” during the call and didn’t remember much from that evening.

From Los Angeles Times

“It was barely off the bat before I started blacking out and trying to get to the field. I almost fell over the rail,” Kopech said.

From Los Angeles Times

“I don’t know, I kind of blacked out,” Edman said when asked to describe his reaction to the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.

From Los Angeles Times

The name and address, including city, of the purchaser was blacked out by California officials.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cross out
• cut off
• darken
• erase
• extinguish
• faint
• pass out