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blank

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noun

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as in form
a piece of paper with information written or to be written on it handed him an employment blank to fill out

Synonyms & Similar Words

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blank

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective blank contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of blank are empty, vacant, vacuous, and void. While all these words mean "lacking contents which could or should be present," blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

When could empty be used to replace blank?

Although the words empty and blank have much in common, empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

When can vacant be used instead of blank?

In some situations, the words vacant and blank are roughly equivalent. However, vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

a vacant apartment

Where would vacuous be a reasonable alternative to blank?

The words vacuous and blank are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

a vacuous facial expression

When would void be a good substitute for blank?

The meanings of void and blank largely overlap; however, void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine.

a statement void of meaning

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 blank
Adjective
Kenny Chesney Dates: May 22, 24-25; May 28; May 30-31; June 4; June 6-7; June 11; June 13-14; June 18; June 20-21 Time: 8 p.m. What to expect: As both the first country artist and first solo musician to play the Sphere, Chesney will have a blank tablet to craft his inaugural appearances. Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025 Think of it as the blank canvas of carbonated drinks. Emily Price, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Noun
Kingsley scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting, Price added 14 points on 7 of 9 from the field, and seniors Madden Smiley (17 points, six rebounds, three assists) and John Backhaus (12 points, 10 rebounds) filled in the blanks to advance. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2025 The vastness of framed white space and the comparatively minuscule labels arrest the viewer, requiring them to crane their neck, to move back and forth or close to the frame in order to read from part to part to whole while also weighing the blanks. Mara Mills, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
EIPs were made available in January 2025 to qualified taxpayers who filed a 2021 tax return, but either left the Recovery Rebate Credit field blank or entered $0, despite being eligible for the credit. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 Those earnings calls will be must-listen events because management will likely be asked point blank what DeepSeek means to their AI investments. Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for blank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blank
Adjective
  • Streets that typically buzzed with life were empty.
    Christina Ray Stanton, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Related article Trump was warned of empty shelves and financial turmoil from tariffs and firing Powell.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.
    Michael Abbott, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
Adjective
  • Newsom's office told Fox News Digital that the risk assessment will be complete on June 13, 2025.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • More news to know now Jury selection is complete in the second murder trial of Karen Read.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The deal aims to quash the primary source of contention, the appointment of bishops, which is a modern-day form of the Medieval Investiture controversy.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The Indian initial public offering drought has some reprieve in the form of Tankup Engineers, a SME manufacturer of fuel storage solutions, listing on Wednesday.
    Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Wallen briefly hugged the actress but seemed to ignore the rest of the cast and quickly walked past view of the camera.
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.
    Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In her next fight, Shevchenko faced ex-women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant flyweight title.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • And several blocks of tunnel below Chinatown, dug half a century ago for the Second Avenue subway, remain a vacant, unseen taunt.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Talk about the low of the low, what utter scumbags.
    Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • But sometimes, such as in crosswalks during peak commuting times, that order turns to utter chaos.
    Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But what looks lean on paper is proving increasingly costly at the top.
    Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2025
  • According to a new paper published in the journal Current Biology, the observational data is the first evidence of the sharing of alcoholic foods among nonhuman great apes in the wild.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blank. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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