blind

[blahynd] /blaɪnd/
adjective, blinder, blindest.
1.
unable to see; lacking the sense of sight; sightless:
a blind man.
2.
unwilling or unable to perceive or understand:
They were blind to their children's faults. He was blind to all arguments.
3.
not characterized or determined by reason or control:
blind tenacity; blind chance.
4.
not having or based on reason or intelligence; absolute and unquestioning:
She had blind faith in his fidelity.
5.
lacking all consciousness or awareness:
a blind stupor.
6.
drunk.
7.
hard to see or understand:
blind reasoning.
8.
hidden from immediate view, especially from oncoming motorists:
a blind corner.
9.
of concealed or undisclosed identity; sponsored anonymously:
a blind ad signed only with a box number.
10.
having no outlets; closed at one end:
a blind passage; a blind mountain pass.
11.
Architecture. (of an archway, arcade, etc.) having no windows, passageways, or the like.
12.
dense enough to form a screen:
a blind hedge of privet.
13.
done without seeing; by instruments alone:
blind flying.
14.
made without some prior knowledge:
a blind purchase; a blind lead in a card game.
15.
of or pertaining to an experimental design that prevents investigators or subjects from knowing the hypotheses or conditions being tested.
16.
of, pertaining to, or for blind persons.
17.
Bookbinding. (of a design, title, or the like) impressed into the cover or spine of a book by a die without ink or foil.
18.
Cookery. (of pastry shells) baked or fried without the filling.
19.
(of a rivet or other fastener) made so that the end inserted, though inaccessible, can be headed or spread.
verb (used with object)
20.
to make sightless permanently, temporarily, or momentarily, as by injuring, dazzling, bandaging the eyes, etc.:
The explosion blinded him. We were blinded by the bright lights.
21.
to make obscure or dark:
The room was blinded by heavy curtains.
22.
to deprive of discernment, reason, or judgment:
a resentment that blinds his good sense.
23.
to outshine; eclipse:
a radiance that doth blind the sun.
noun
24.
something that obstructs vision, as a blinker for a horse.
25.
a window covering having horizontal or vertical slats that can be drawn out of the way, often with the angle of the slats adjustable to admit varying amounts of light.
26.
venetian blind.
27.
Chiefly Midland U.S. and British, window shade.
28.
a lightly built structure of brush or other growths, especially one in which hunters conceal themselves:
a duck blind.
29.
an activity, organization, or the like for concealing or masking action or purpose; subterfuge:
The store was just a blind for their gambling operation.
30.
a decoy.
31.
Slang. a bout of excessive drinking; drunken spree.
32.
Poker. a compulsory bet made without prior knowledge of one's hand.
33.
(used with a plural verb) persons who lack the sense of sight (usually preceded by the):
The blind are said to have an acute sense of hearing.
adverb
34.
into a stupor; to the degree at which consciousness is lost:
He drank himself blind.
35.
without the ability to see clearly; lacking visibility; blindly:
They were driving blind through the snowstorm.
36.
without guidance or forethought:
They were working blind and couldn't anticipate the effects of their actions.
37.
to an extreme or absolute degree; completely:
The confidence men cheated her blind.
Idioms
38.
fly blind. fly1 (def 34).
Origin
before 1000; (adj.) Middle English blind, Old English; cognate with Gothic blinds, Old Norse blindr, German, Dutch blind (< Germanic *blindaz, perhaps akin to blend; original sense uncertain); (v.) Middle English blinden, derivative of the adj.
Related forms
blindingly, adverb
blindness, noun
half-blind, adjective
half-blindly, adverb
half-blindness, noun
quasi-blind, adjective
quasi-blindly, adverb
self-blinded, adjective
Synonyms
1. Blind, stone-blind, purblind mean unable to see. Blind means unable to see with the physical eyes. Stone-blind emphasizes complete blindness. Purblind refers to weakened vision, literally or figuratively. 4. irrational, uncritical, rash, thoughtless, unreasoning. 8. concealed. 25. See curtain. 28. hiding place, ambush.
Antonyms
1. seeing. 2. receptive. 4. rational.
Regional variation note
27. See window shade.
Examples from the web for blind
  • Both sighted and blind subjects gave similar results.
  • We invited chocolate amateurs and professionals to rate two dozen plain bittersweet and semisweet chocolates in a blind tasting.
  • Reading machines for blind people are now reaching more individuals who need them as both prices and sizes continue to shrink.
  • But the law has increasingly been turning a blind eye to the business.
  • Without treatment, she would have grown completely blind.
  • The iconic and instantly recognizable white stick carried by the blind could soon be replaced.
  • In an ideal world, the review process should be double blind so that people dont get published based on name alone.
  • Businesses could benefit if they turned a blind eye to queue jumping.
  • For the first time these sluggish, nearly blind creatures are photographed in their frigid habitat.
  • It is not catchy, and nobody pays a blind bit of notice.
British Dictionary definitions for blind

blind

/blaɪnd/
adjective
1.
  1. unable to see; sightless
  2. (as collective noun; preceded by the): the blind
2.
(usually foll by to) unable or unwilling to understand or discern
3.
not based on evidence or determined by reason: blind hatred
4.
acting or performed without control or preparation
5.
done without being able to see, relying on instruments for information
6.
hidden from sight: a blind corner, a blind stitch
7.
closed at one end: a blind alley
8.
completely lacking awareness or consciousness: a blind stupor
9.
(informal) very drunk
10.
having no openings or outlets: a blind wall
11.
without having been seen beforehand: a blind purchase
12.
(of cultivated plants) having failed to produce flowers or fruits
13.
(intensifier): not a blind bit of notice
14.
turn a blind eye, to disregard deliberately or pretend not to notice (something, esp an action of which one disapproves)
adverb
15.
without being able to see ahead or using only instruments: to drive blind, flying blind
16.
without adequate knowledge or information; carelessly: to buy a house blind
17.
(intensifier) (in the phrase blind drunk)
18.
bake blind, to bake (the empty crust of a pie, pastry, etc) by half filling with dried peas, crusts of bread, etc, to keep it in shape
verb (mainly transitive)
19.
to deprive of sight permanently or temporarily
20.
to deprive of good sense, reason, or judgment
21.
to darken; conceal
22.
(foll by with) to overwhelm by showing detailed knowledge: to blind somebody with science
23.
(intransitive) (Brit, slang) to drive very fast
24.
(intransitive) (Brit, slang) to curse (esp in the phrase effing and blinding)
noun
25.
(modifier) for or intended to help blind and partially sighted people: a blind school
26.
a shade for a window, usually on a roller
27.
any obstruction or hindrance to sight, light, or air
28.
a person, action, or thing that serves to deceive or conceal the truth
29.
a person who acts on behalf of someone who does not wish his identity or actions to be known
30.
(Brit, old-fashioned, slang) Also called blinder. a drunken orgy; binge
31.
(poker) a stake put up by a player before he examines his cards
32.
(hunting, mainly US & Canadian) a screen of brush or undergrowth, in which hunters hide to shoot their quarry Brit name hide
33.
(military) a round or demolition charge that fails to explode
Derived Forms
blindly, adverb
blindness, noun
Usage note
It is preferable to avoid using phrases such as the blind. Instead you should talk about blind and partially sighted people
Word Origin
Old English blind; related to Old Norse blindr, Old High German blint; Lettish blendu to see dimly; see blunder
Word Origin and History for blind
adj.

Old English blind "blind," also "dark, enveloped in darkness, obscure; unintelligent, lacking mental perception," probably from West Germanic *blinda- "blind" (cf. Dutch and German blind, Old Norse blindr, Gothic blinds "blind"), perhaps, via notion of "to make cloudy, deceive," from an extended Germanic form of the PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" (see bleach (v.)); cf. Lithuanian blendzas "blind," blesti "to become dark." The original sense, not of "sightless," but of "confused," perhaps underlies such phrases as blind alley (Chaucer's lanes blynde), which is older than the sense of "closed at one end" (1610s). In reference to doing something without seeing it first, by 1840. Of aviators flying without instruments or without clear observation, from 1919. Blindman's bluff is from 1580s.

The twilight, or rather the hour between the time when one can no longer see to read and the lighting of the candles, is commonly called blindman's holiday. [Grose, 1796]
Related: Blinded; blinding.

v.

"deprive of sight," early 13c., from Old English blendan "to blind, deprive of sight; deceive," from Proto-Germanic *blandjan (see blind (adj.)); form influenced in Middle English by the adjective. Related: Blinded; blinding.

n.

"a blind person; blind persons collectively," late Old Engish, from blind (adj.). Meaning "place of concealment" is from 1640s. Meaning "anything that obstructs sight" is from 1702.

blind in Medicine

blind (blīnd)
adj.

  1. Unable to see; without useful sight.

  2. Having a maximal visual acuity of the better eye, after correction by refractive lenses, of one-tenth normal vision or less (20/200 or less on the Snellen test).

  3. Of, relating to, or for sightless persons.

  4. Closed at one end, as a tube or sac.

blind'ness n.
Slang definitions & phrases for blind

blind

adjective
  1. Very drunk; blind drunk, snockered, zonked (1630s+)
  2. Uncircumcised (1920s+ Homosexuals)
adverb

Completely; cold •Most common in the expression rob someone blind: Goddam car was eating me blind (1900s+ esp students)

Related Terms

steal someone blind


blind in the Bible

Blind beggars are frequently mentioned (Matt. 9:27; 12:22; 20:30; John 5:3). The blind are to be treated with compassion (Lev. 19:14; Deut. 27:18). Blindness was sometimes a punishment for disobedience (1 Sam. 11:2; Jer. 39:7), sometimes the effect of old age (Gen. 27:1; 1 Kings 14:4; 1 Sam. 4:15). Conquerors sometimes blinded their captives (2 Kings 25:7; 1 Sam. 11:2). Blindness denotes ignorance as to spiritual things (Isa. 6:10; 42:18, 19; Matt. 15:14; Eph. 4:18). The opening of the eyes of the blind is peculiar to the Messiah (Isa. 29:18). Elymas was smitten with blindness at Paul's word (Acts 13:11).

Idioms and Phrases with blind

blind

also see: