blot out

verb

blotted out; blotting out; blots out

transitive verb

1

: to make obscure, insignificant, or inconsequential

2

: wipe out, destroy

Synonyms

• abolish
• annihilate
• black out
• cancel
• clean (up)
• efface
• eradicate
• erase
• expunge
• exterminate
• extirpate
• liquidate
• obliterate
• root (out)
• rub out
• snuff (out)
• stamp (out)
• sweep (away)
• wipe out

Examples of blot out in a Sentence

blotted out all evidence of tampering with the explosive device

bushes blotted out the shed from our view

Recent Examples on the Web

The dust spread worldwide, blotting out sunlight and lowering temperatures for years, resulting in mass extinction. —Kate Golembiewski, CNN, 16 Aug. 2024

Who wouldn’t want to blot out the rest of the big, bad world and spend this time fully engaged with all these welcoming strangers? —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024

Listen to this article Patsy Hirsch and her husband moved to an Elgin subdivision nearly three decades ago, drawn by a backyard thicket of oak, hickory and cherry trees so dense the canopy blotted out the sun. —Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2024

Flush with Cold Water Hold the stained fabric under cold running water after blotting out any excess juice. —Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

blot out

verb

1

: to make unimportant

2

: to make hard to see or invisible : hide

3

: destroy sense 1, kill