blacking out

verb

present participle of black out
1
as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of had spent most of her adulthood trying to black out memories of a wretched childhood

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in darkening
to grow dark with the delivery of the knockout punch, the screen blacks out, and in the next scene the boxer wakes up in the hospital

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fainting
to lose consciousness blacked out after hitting her head on the beam

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blacking out This curtain type is airy, casual, and gives your windows a sense of place and structure without feeling stuffy—or completely blacking out the sunshine during golden hour. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 4 Aug. 2026 Overwhelmed fans reported blacking out at the Eras Tour, all memories of the night dumped. — Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026 One surgeon takes sitting-down breaks during an operation to avoid blacking out from hunger. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 16 July 2026 But sometimes even blacking out after long night shoots? — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 4 June 2026 Some hospitalized miners recalled seeing smoke and blacking out, according to state media reports. — ABC News, 23 May 2026 Gosling headlines Miller and Phil Lord’s film adaption of Andy Weir’s 2021 book of the same name, which centers on a school teacher turned astronaut tasked with stopping a mysterious entity from blacking out the sun. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026 But beyond the humanitarian costs, blacking out the entire nation would be economically catastrophic for the region and could trigger a global recession. — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026 Any new rules and regulations proposed by the FCC that restrict leagues from paywalling, locally blacking out or spreading live sports content across numerous channels and apps could be challenged in court. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacking out
  1. eradicating
  2. darkening
  3. fainting
  4. erasing
  5. closing in
  6. passing out
  7. abolishing
  8. collapsing
Verb
  • The brand also claims that this sweeps away plaque rather than just blasting a hole through it, more effectively eradicating the sludgy bacteria.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Tlaib is also a prominent critic of Israel; her rhetoric has been chastised by Jewish colleagues as an antisemitic call for eradicating Jews, a charge the congresswoman and her supporters reject.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of eradicating
Verb
  • The title references Black Like Me, white journalist John Howard Griffin’s 1961 nonfiction book about darkening his skin to pass for Black in the Jim Crow South.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
  • During a total eclipse, the moon completely covers the face of the sun, darkening the sky and revealing just the sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of darkening
Verb
  • Bayern Munich have confirmed Jamal Musiala will miss his Saturday’s Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund after fainting in two successive matches.
    — Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Stewart previously had to pause his concert on June 19 to use an oxygen tank after nearly fainting on stage.
    — Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of fainting
Verb
  • But Bama followed with a 38-3 quarterfinal flop to Indiana, erasing any momentum and placing DeBoer squarely under the microscope entering a pivotal third season.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The 68-year-old also lost her husband and her son, who worked at a local hydropower plant, in the flash floods that hit the region on Wednesday, erasing entire communities.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of erasing
Verb
  • The father-daughter duo has set up shop ensconced in the woods, herding donkeys and so far evading the violence closing in on them from the outside.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Palmeiras winger Allan Elias is closing in on a move as the club look for replacements for Savinho and Omar Marmoush, the duo heading to Spurs.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of closing in
Verb
  • Fearing political backlash, Rodrigo’s management team at the time reportedly asked the groups to refrain from passing out contraceptives, but still encouraged them to canvass on-site.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • That followed a similar incident on Saturday, when the midfielder left the field after passing out in almost identical fashion during another friendly, against RB Leipzig.
    — Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of passing out
Verb
  • Debates over abolishing or scaling back the institution, which occasionally flare up in the United Kingdom and other nations, are rare in Norway.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • While his party debates abolishing prisons and owning grocery stores, Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie is cleaning up his city.
    — Kate Andrews, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of abolishing
Verb
  • Summary Volkswagen's unique governance, long prioritizing workers and unions over shareholders, is now unsustainable amid collapsing profits, especially from China, and fierce competition from Chinese EVs.
    — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • After winning historic Latino support in 2024, Trump now faces collapsing approval as mass deportations, economic stagnation and inflammatory messaging like the bus graphic threaten GOP fortunes in the 2026 midterms.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of collapsing

Browse Nearby Words

blacking
blacking out
blackish
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Cite this Entry

“Blacking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacking%20out. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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