blot out

Idioms and Phrases

Obliterate, wipe out of existence or memory, as in At least one Indian nation was blotted out as the pioneers moved west , or The trauma of the accident blotted out all her memory of recent events . This idiom, first recorded in 1516, uses the verb to blot in the sense of making something illegible by spotting or staining it with ink. The New Testament has it (Acts 3:19): “Repent ye ... that your sins may be blotted out.”

Example Sentences

In a later bid to blot out those memories, the Yankees leveled that stadium and built another one across the street.

From Los Angeles Times

A steady stream of out-of-state transplants to Big Sky Country became a deluge during the pandemic, leading to soaring prices, a boom in luxury apartments that blot out the rustic scenery and a rash of higher-end businesses like Whole Foods.

From New York Times

So, if like Mr. Rao, you’ve developed a raging case of umbraphilia — the love of eclipses — you’ll have three chances over the next four years to see the moon blot out the sun.

From New York Times

And few things generate awe like watching the moon blot out the sun and plunge a sunny day into erie darkness.

From Los Angeles Times

When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.

From Salon

Related Words

• consume
• crush
• damage
• dismantle
• end
• eradicate
• gut
• impair
• kill
• maim
• ravage
• raze
• ruin
• sabotage
• shatter
• smash
• smash-up
• wipe out
• wreck