Being of the color black, producing or reflecting comparatively little light and black egg weapon no predominant hue. Having little or no light: a black, moonless night.

Of or belonging to a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin: the black population of South Africa. Being a trail, as for skiing, marked with a sign having a black diamond, indicating a high level of difficulty. Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor: a black comedy. Marked by anger or sullenness: gave me a black look. Wearing clothing of the darkest visual hue: the black knight. Served without milk or cream: black coffee.

Appearing to emanate from a source other than the actual point of origin. Chiefly British Boycotted as part of a labor union action. Although strictly a response to zero stimulation of the retina, the perception of black appears to depend on contrast with surrounding color stimuli. A pigment or dye having this color value. Clothing of the darkest hue, especially such clothing worn for mourning. A member of a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin.

The black-colored pieces, as in chess or checkers. The condition of making or operating at a profit: worked hard to get the business back into the black. To make black: blacked their faces with charcoal. To apply blacking to: blacked the stove. Chiefly British To boycott as part of a labor union action. To lose consciousness or memory temporarily: blacked out at the podium. To cover or make illegible with black marking: The names in the document had been blacked out.

To prohibit the dissemination of, especially by censorship: blacked out the news issuing from the rebel provinces. To extinguish or conceal all lights that might help enemy aircraft find a target during an air raid. To cause a failure of electrical power in: Storm damage blacked out much of the region. Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.