# blind

Pronunciation: say "BLYND" /blaɪnd/

## Adjective

1. Unable to see at all, or able to see only partially.
   - Simple: Not able to see, or able to see only a little.
   - _She has been blind since birth but moves through the city with ease._
   - _Many blind people read using Braille._
2. Failing to recognize, acknowledge, or perceive something.
   - Simple: Not noticing or refusing to notice something, even when it is clear.
   - _Investors were blind to the warning signs before the crash._
   - _She remained blind to his obvious flaws._
5. Having little or no visibility; offering an obstructed view.
   - Simple: Hard to see around or through, with little or no clear view.
   - _The accident happened at a blind bend on the country road._
   - _Slow down before the blind corner, since you can't see oncoming cars._
6. Acting or done without any prior knowledge or information.
   - Simple: Done without knowing anything about it beforehand.
   - _The detectives went in blind, lacking any background on the suspect._
   - _She accepted the assignment blind, knowing none of the details._
7. Using a study design in which information is deliberately withheld from participants to prevent bias.
   - Simple: Set up so people in a study don't know certain facts, to keep the results fair.
   - _The trial used a blind protocol to keep volunteers unaware of their treatment._
   - _A blind comparison reduces the chance that expectations skew the results._
8. Unconditional and given without regard to evidence, logic, or reality.
   - Simple: Given completely and without question, ignoring evidence or reason.
   - _Blind faith in the plan kept them from seeing its flaws._
   - _Critics warned against blind devotion to any single theory._
10. Having no opening or exit, as a passage closed at one end or a wall with no windows or doors.
   - Simple: With no way through or out, like a path that ends or a wall with no windows or doors.
   - _The escape route ended in a blind corridor._
   - _The hallway ended in a blind wall with no door._
14. Smallest or slightest; used chiefly in emphatic negative expressions to mean even the least amount.
   - Simple: Even the slightest amount, used for emphasis in negative phrases like "not a blind bit."
   - _She paid not a blind bit of attention to the gossip going around._
   - _Their complaints did not make a blind bit of difference to the manager._
19. Of a plant or shoot, failing to produce flowers or fruit; abortive.
   - Simple: Of a plant, not making any flowers or fruit.
   - _Gardeners cut back the blind shoots to encourage fresh flowering stems._
   - _The daffodil bulbs turned blind after years in the same crowded bed._
20. Lacking a clearly formed head or point; not coming to a defined tip.
   - Simple: Not coming to a clear point or head.
   - _A blind boil throbbed beneath the skin without ever breaking the surface._
   - _The swelling remained blind, painful but with no visible head to lance._

## Noun

3. A movable window covering, made of cloth or narrow slats, used to block light or let it pass through.
   - Simple: A cover for a window that you can pull down to block sunlight.
   - _He adjusted the slats of the blind to let in a little light._
   - _Wooden blinds gave the office a warm, quiet look._
9. A concealed shelter or screen from which people can watch or hunt wildlife, or observe others, without being seen.
   - Simple: A hidden place where people can watch or hunt animals, or watch others, without being seen.
   - _From the blind, the photographer captured images of nesting herons._
   - _The hunters waited in the duck blind before dawn._
12. In poker, a forced bet placed before the cards are dealt (the small blind or big blind), or the player who must place it.
   - Simple: In poker, money a player must bet before getting any cards, or the player who must bet it.
   - _The player to the dealer's left posts the small blind each hand._
   - _Rising blinds force players to act before their chips run low._
16. Something meant to mislead the eye or mind, or to conceal a secret act or design; a subterfuge or deception.
   - Simple: Something used to hide the truth or trick people.
   - _The shell company served as a blind for the smuggling operation._
   - _Their public dispute was a blind, staged to distract the reporters._
17. A destination sign mounted on a public transport vehicle, showing the route number, destination, name, and main stops along the way.
   - Simple: On a bus or train, the sign that shows where the vehicle is going.
   - _The driver rolled the blind around to display the new route number._
   - _A faulty blind left passengers unsure where the tram was actually headed._
18. In rugby, the side of the field nearer the touchline from a scrum, ruck, or maul; the narrow side. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: In rugby, the shorter side of the field next to where the ball is.
   - _The scrum-half darted down the blind, catching the defense napping._
   - _A quick pass to the blind opened up space close to the touchline._

## Verb

4. To deprive someone of sight, either temporarily or permanently.
   - Simple: To take away someone's ability to see, for a short time or forever.
   - _The chemical splash nearly blinded the worker._
   - _A sudden flash can blind a person long enough to cause an accident._

## Adverb

11. Without seeing or looking, including without looking at one's cards in a card game.
   - Simple: Without seeing or looking, including playing or betting without looking at your cards.
   - _The pilot flew blind until the instruments came back online._
   - _He navigated the tunnel blind, feeling the walls with his hands._
13. Completely; totally, used to intensify another word. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Used to make another word stronger, meaning totally or completely.
   - _He came home blind drunk after the party._
   - _The con artist swindled the tourists blind in the market._
15. Of a pastry case, baked empty without any filling, so that the shell sets and crisps before the filling is added.
   - Simple: Cooked as an empty pastry shell first, with no filling inside it yet.
   - _Roll out the dough, line the tin, and bake it blind until pale gold._
   - _The recipe insists you cook the shell blind, or the wet filling will leave it soggy._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To darken or obscure something to the eye or mind; to conceal.
- (noun) A military screen or shelter built to protect troops or a position from enemy fire and observation.
- (noun) In ball games, a score of nothing; nil.
- (adjective) Impossible to read, or impossible to make sense of when read.
- (adjective) Of a penis, uncircumcised; still having the foreskin intact.
- (verb) To cover a freshly paved road with a thin layer of sand and fine gravel so that the joints between the stones become filled.
- (verb) To swear or use foul language, now mostly in the British phrase effing and blinding.

## Origin

Proto-Germanic *blindaz became Proto-West Germanic *blind, which developed into Old English blind and then Middle English blynd.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/blind (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).