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black

black

25 1.4
Clothes worn to show mourning after someone's death
  • noun
  • /blæk/
: ropa de luto
  • CUT TO: In the streets, a procession of women dressed in black progresses slowly along.

She came to the funeral all black mourning.

Examples

  • Charlene sits, shell-shocked, dressed in black with white face and red lipstick.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The loose fitting plain black clothing draping from her shoulders to her toes suggested the modesty of a nun.

  • There was an old woman dressed in black lying on the bed with her shoes on.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I saw people dressed in black entering the radio station.

  • And so many individuals are wearing these black robes.

  • I began, wanting to remind him that the city was draped in black for the old king's death.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • His mother, shrouded in black for the death of an aunt, was weeping.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The mourners appeared at the funeral, all dressed in black, honoring their loved one.

  • She wore black as a symbol of mourning during the memorial ceremony.

  • At the wake, many guests arrived in black to pay their respects.

Synonyms

weeds
vsblack
  • Archaic
2 9.9

Black clothes that a widow wears to show mourning

is the modern general term for mourning clothing rather than old-fashioned usage
widow's weeds
vsblack
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Black clothes a woman wears after her husband dies to show she is mourning

is used for anyone in mourning rather than only for a bereaved woman

Idioms

Something written so the meaning is clear and certain

14 5.5

Having more money than you owe

black and blue
  • Informal
6 2.1

With dark bruises on the skin from being hit

To say someone has a fault you also have

9.9

Far from towns and cities, often in the Australian outback

A sign that dark clouds are coming and rain may fall, or a joke that things only seem bad

Not as bad or evil as people say

Less bad than people often say

Compounds

399 1.7

A man who has African ancestry and is seen as Black

395 1.2

A person with dark skin whose family comes from Africa

188 1.0

A woman who has dark skin and whose family comes from Africa

black hole
  • Specialized
123 5.1

An area of space with gravity so strong that not even light can escape it

119 2.5

An image, film, or pattern that uses only black, white and gray

An image that shows only shades of black, white and gray, not color

Seeing things as only good or bad, with no middle

69 3.9

A place where people buy and sell goods illegally

An American person whose family comes from Africa

A group of Black American activists in the 1960s who fought police abuse and fought for equal rights

53 2.3

A dark swollen bruise around the eye caused by a hit

51 5.5

A thing, like a failing project, that uses a lot of time or money and gives nothing back

38 1.0

A dress that is black and often worn for formal or special occasions

37 7.7

Magic used to harm people or to help the person who uses it

32 3.5

A very skilled person in martial arts like karate or judo who wears a dark band at the waist

31 4.8

Sold or traded secretly because it is against the law

black tie
  • Formal
27 3.7

A formal evening dress code for men that requires a black jacket and bow tie

black sheep
  • Offensive
24 4.8

A person who others dislike in a family or group

23 2.4

A person from Africa who has dark skin

black box
  • Specialized
23 4.9

A device on an airplane that records flight information and pilot voices

23 3.3

A sea between southeastern Europe and western Asia that borders countries like Turkey and Ukraine

19 1.0

A dark spice made from dried peppercorns used to season food

18 1.0

A medium-sized wild animal in North America with black or dark brown fur

17 6.7

An old type of gunpowder used in guns and fireworks

black eye
  • Informal
14 4.7

An event that hurts how people see someone

13 1.3

A small shiny black bean used in cooking

Black race
  • Archaic
12 8.6

A group of people with dark skin, often with African heritage, a term now seen as old-fashioned

12 2.8

Music made by Black artists, like blues, jazz, gospel, and hip hop

11 4.1

A fictional king and superhero from Marvel who uses advanced technology to protect his people

10 4.9

A range of mountains in South Dakota and Wyoming, home to Mount Rushmore and sacred to the Sioux

10 7.4

A list of people to avoid because they are not trusted or are enemies

black-tie
  • Formal
10 4.4

Requiring formal evening clothes like a tuxedo and bow tie for men

10 3.4

A small pale bean with a black spot that people eat in the American South

10 5.8

A thing that makes people think less of someone

9 3.2

Completely dark with no light at all

9 6.4

A severe disease in the Middle Ages that spread across Europe and killed millions

9 5.6

A venomous spider from the Americas whose female is black with a red hourglass on the underside of its body

9 5.8

A person who follows the Nation of Islam, a religious group among African Americans in the United States

A simple black dress to wear to many events like a party or dinner

8 6.7

A large outbreak of plague in Europe in the mid 1300s that killed millions

8 3.9

Very black like coal or a dark night

black box
  • Specialized
8 3.9

A system whose inner parts are hidden so you only see what goes in and what comes out

7 8.6

An unexpected event that has very large and often harmful effects

7 9.9

A group of Black people often involved in crime or violence

black lung
  • Specialized
7 6.7

A lung disease from breathing coal dust for a long time that often affects miners

6 2.8

A very dark colour like shiny coal

6 9.9

Magic that people use to call evil spirits and hurt others

6 1.0

Having black or very dark hair

6 3.9

A mountain area in the southwest of Germany with thick woods and famous scenery

5 1.0

A dark, strong tea made from leaves left to change color

5 5.7

A thin layer of ice on roads or sidewalks that is hard to see

5 3.6

Very dark color that is black with a blue shine

A member of the Black Panther Party who fought for equal rights for African Americans in the 1960s

A rare solid black gem valued for its dark look

4 7.7

A day in October 1987 when stock markets worldwide crashed sharply

black comedy
  • Literature
4 6.3

A play or film that makes serious subjects, especially taboo ones, seem funny

4 1.4

A ripe dark olive preserved in salt water or oil and used in cooking

4 6.5

A flag that is black with a white skull and crossbones used by pirates

4 6.5

Jokes about serious or sad topics that make people laugh

4 8.4

A secret action that hides who did it, often for political or military reasons

3 2.8

Very dark like the color of coal

3 6.6

A day when something very bad or sad happens

black body
  • Specialized
3 8.5

An object that absorbs all light and other kinds of radiation that hit it

3 4.3

A large tree from North America with dark hard wood and nuts you can eat

black spot
  • Informal
3 5.3

An area people see as a weakness or cause of problems

2 7.5

A person who secretly sells scarce or controlled goods for money

2 6.6

A small dark insect that bites people and animals and makes itchy red spots

2 4.1

A very deep black color like coal

Black English
  • Specialized
2 6.9

A form of American English with its own grammar and words, often spoken by African Americans

2 3.3

Very dark like black ink

black belt
  • Specialized
2 3.8

A person with advanced Six Sigma training who leads projects to improve how a company works

2 9.9

A Palestinian armed group that carried out attacks in other countries in the early 1970s

2 3.0

A small dark red to almost black round fruit from a tree that tastes sweet

Surface Forms

black singular
blacks plural

Etymology

The word black for mourning clothes comes from the long habit of wearing the dark color to show grief and seriousness, so putting on black signals loss.