blind

BLYND/blaɪnd/

Adjectiveblinder, blindest

Noun pluralblinds

Verbblinds, blinding, blinded

27 meanings of blind

Practice

1
no eyesightadjective
Not able to see, or able to see only a little.
Like trying to find your way around with your eyes shut.
He was declared legally blind after the accident.
Guide dogs help blind pedestrians cross busy streets.
UsageGo blind means lose your sight. The blind means blind people.
Similarsightless
Oppositesighted, seeing
2
not noticingadjective
Not noticing or refusing to notice something, even when it is clear.
Like walking past a sign without ever reading it.
He was blind to her feelings for years.
They stayed blind to the danger until it was too late.
UsageSay blind to something.
Similaroblivious, unaware, heedless
Oppositeaware, alert, mindful
Note
3
window covernouncountable
A cover for a window that you can pull down to block sunlight.
Like a curtain you can roll up and down.
She lowered the blind to keep the afternoon sun out.
The blinds in the bedroom were closed all day.
UsageSay close the blinds.
Similarshade
4
take away sightverbtransitive
To take away someone's ability to see, for a short time or forever.
Like switching off a light so someone can't see anything.
The bright headlights blinded the driver for a moment.
Looking straight at the sun can blind you.
UsageSay blinded by the light.
Note
5
blocked viewadjective
Hard to see around or through, with little or no clear view.
Like a turn so sharp you can't see what's coming.
Slow down near the blind corner at the top of the hill.
The driveway has a blind spot where you can't see oncoming cars.
UsageSay a blind corner or a blind spot.
Similarhidden, concealed, obscured
Note
6
knowing nothingadjective
Done without knowing anything about it beforehand.
Like opening a door without knowing what's behind it.
I walked into the test completely blind.
They went into the meeting blind, with no idea what to expect.
UsageSay go in blind.
Similarunprepared, uninformed
Oppositeinformed, prepared
Note
7
research trialadjective
Set up so people in a study don't know certain facts, to keep the results fair.
Like a taste test where you don't know which drink is which.
The researchers ran a blind test so no one knew which pill was real.
In a blind study, patients are not told which group they are in.
UsagePeople say a blind test or a double-blind study.
Similarmasked
Oppositeopen
Note
8
without questionadjective
Given completely and without question, ignoring evidence or reason.
Like trusting a map you've never checked is correct.
Their blind trust in the leader led them into trouble.
He followed the rules with blind obedience.
UsageSay blind faith or blind trust.
Similarunquestioning, uncritical, unthinking, unconditional, implicit
Oppositecritical, reasoned
Note
9
nouncountable
A hidden place where people can watch or hunt animals, or watch others, without being seen.
Like a little hut you hide in to watch birds.
The birdwatchers sat quietly in the blind for hours.
We built a small blind near the pond to watch ducks.
Similarhide
Note
10
adjective
With no way through or out, like a path that ends or a wall with no windows or doors.
Like a hallway that ends at a wall with no door.
The car turned into a blind alley and had to back out.
We reached a blind passage and could go no further.
UsageSay a blind alley.
Oppositeopen
Note

Less common meanings

11
adverb
Without seeing or looking, including playing or betting without looking at your cards.
Like finding your way across a dark room with no lights.
The pilot had to fly blind through the thick fog.
She drove blind for a few seconds when snow hit the windshield.
UsageSay fly blind.
Note
12
nouncountable
In poker, money a player must bet before getting any cards, or the player who must bet it.
Like paying a small fee just to join the game.
She had to pay the blind before seeing her cards.
He posted the blind and waited for the deal.
Note
13
completelyadverbcolloquial
Used to make another word stronger, meaning totally or completely.
By midnight he was blind drunk.
The dishonest dealer robbed them blind.
UsageSay blind drunk or rob someone blind.
Similarcompletely, totally, dead
14
slightestadjectivein certain phrases
Even the slightest amount, used for emphasis in negative phrases like "not a blind bit."
He did not take a blind bit of notice of the warning.
It did not make a blind bit of difference in the end.
UsageSay not a blind bit of difference.
15
without fillingadverbin compounds
Cooked as an empty pastry shell first, with no filling inside it yet.
Bake the pastry blind for ten minutes before you add the custard.
She always cooks the tart shell blind so the bottom stays crisp.
UsageSay bake blind or blind-bake.
Note
16
false frontnouncountable
Something used to hide the truth or trick people.
Like a curtain pulled across the truth so no one sees it.
The charity event was just a blind for their real plans.
His friendly smile was a blind to hide his anger.
UsageSay a blind for something.
Similarfront, cover, smokescreen, ruse, decoy
17
route signnouncountable
On a bus or train, the sign that shows where the vehicle is going.
Like a name tag on a bus that tells you where it is going.
The bus blind showed the wrong destination this morning.
He changed the blind to read "Out of Service."
18
narrow side (rugby)nouncolloquial
In rugby, the shorter side of the field next to where the ball is.
Like the short, quiet side of a field where only a few people stand.
The winger sprinted down the blind and scored in the corner.
They attacked on the blind, where there were fewer defenders.
Note
19
no flowersadjective
Of a plant, not making any flowers or fruit.
Many of the tulips came up blind this spring, with no flowers at all.
A late frost left the rose bushes blind that year.
UsageSay the tulips came up blind.
Similarbarren, sterile, flowerless
Note
20
no clear tipadjective
Not coming to a clear point or head.
Like a bump under the skin that never opens up.
She had a blind pimple that never came to a head.
He had a blind pimple on his chin that hurt for days.
Note
21
verbarchaic
To hide something or make it hard to see or understand.
Such darkness blinds the sky.
1717, John Dryden [et al.], Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books
22
noun
In war, a shelter that protects soldiers from enemy fire.
23
nounobsolete
In some games, a score of zero.
24
adjectivedated
So unclear that you cannot read or understand it.
25
adjectivedated
Of a penis, not circumcised and still having the foreskin.
26
verb
To spread a thin layer of sand and gravel over a new road, filling the gaps between stones.
27
verbobsolete
To swear or use rude words.
If you’re cast for fatigue by a sergeant unkind, Don’t grouse like a woman, nor crack on, nor blind; Be handy and civil, and then you will find That it’s beer for the young British soldier.
1890, Rudyard Kipling, The Young British Soldier

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of blind apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This word comes from Old English "blind," which came from older Germanic words meaning the same thing.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

English blind comes from Old English blind. en.wiktionary.org
Old English blind descends from earlier Germanic forms. en.wiktionary.org
The ancestral Germanic word also meant blind. en.wiktionary.org