blindfold

American  

[blahynd-fohld] / ˈblaɪndˌfoʊld /

verb (used with object)

1. to prevent or occlude sight by covering (the eyes) with a cloth, bandage, or the like; cover the eyes of.

2. to impair the awareness or clear thinking of.

   Don't let their hospitality blindfold you to the true purpose of their invitation.

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noun

1. a cloth or bandage put before the eyes to prevent seeing.

adjective

1. with the eyes covered.

   a blindfold test.

2. rash; unthinking.

   a blindfold denunciation before knowing the facts.

blindfold British  

/ ˈblaɪndˌfəʊld /

verb

1. to prevent (a person or animal) from seeing by covering (the eyes)

2. to prevent from perceiving or understanding

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noun

1. a piece of cloth, bandage, etc, used to cover the eyes

2. any interference to sight

adjective

1. having the eyes covered with a cloth or bandage

2. chess not seeing the board and pieces

3. rash; inconsiderate

Other Word Forms

• unblindfolded adjective

Etymology

Origin of blindfold

1520–30; alteration, by association with fold ¹, of blindfell to cover the eyes, strike blind, Middle English blindfellen; see blind, fell ²

Explanation

A blindfold is a strip of fabric that's tied across your eyes so you can't see. At a birthday party, you might wear a blindfold and attempt to pin a paper tail on a picture of a donkey. A bank robber might blindfold a hostage, and a kindergarten teacher might also tie a blindfold on the birthday boy during a party game. In both cases, the blindfold makes the person unable to see what's going on. The earliest, 14th century version of the word was blindfelled, the past participle of blindfellan, "cover the eyes," from the Old English blindfellian, "to strike blind."

Example Sentences

The host handed me a blindfold and Bose noise-canceling headphones, playing the hypnotic sounds of a space drum with birds chirping in the distance.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

One woman I interviewed remembered that while she was blindfolded, she was able to peek under her blindfold and see a tile pattern on the floor.

From Slate • Feb. 17, 2026

“And the next gate, you can’t see it until you’re pretty much on top of it. You might as well put on a blindfold because you can’t see anything in front of you.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

Mr Harrison, who undertook a blindfold walk with the London Sight Loss Council, pledged that council staff would visit look into the issue.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2023

As he got dressed in the dark, he whispered up to the top bunk, “Reynie, they didn’t happen to blindfold you when you went to Mr. Curtain’s office, did they?”

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Related Words

• curtain
• screen