📄 Not written on ⬜ An empty space 😐 No expression 🔫 No-bullet cartridge 🙈 To ignore 🔫 No-bullet ammo 🪵 Unfinished piece 🚫 To stop scoring

to blank

23 6.3

To ignore someone or suddenly forget something

verb
/blæŋk/

Informal

: ignorar

I'm sorry, I've totally blanked and forgotten your name.
mind blanked
blanked on a name
totally blanked

And, yeah, I'm blanking on her name right now, but.

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Examples

He wondered if she was even listening, or if, like so much in her life, she was choosing to blank out what she didn't want to hear.

Fiction book (1996)
I blank out on certain words now, too.

Margot at the Wedding (2007)
And through this, I completely blanked on the fact that James would be starting school this year.

Elle Fowler
Right now, I just blanked out.

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (2017)
I must have blanked it out or something.

My Life (1993)
I'm blanking on your name.

Extreme Dating (2005)
I completely blanked on the ancient Greek for "seatbelt."

Fun Size (2012)
I can't believe I'm blanking on this.

You Again (2010)
And forgive me, I'm blanking on the woman's name.
I often blank on people's names when I first meet them.

Synonyms

to forget

vsto blank

∞ 1.8

Decide not to think about something

also includes sudden inability to remember rather than only deliberate avoidance

to ignore

vsto blank

∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

also covers sudden memory lapses rather than only deliberate inattention

to overlook

vsto blank

205 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

can be deliberate or sudden forgetting, not only accidental omission

to totally forgot

vsto blank

Informal

35 1.8

Do not remember something at all

may also mean deliberate avoidance of a person or sudden memory failure

ignored

vsto blank

26 1.6

People do not pay attention to a person or thing

also includes sudden forgetting rather than only intentional dismissal

to slip my mind

vsto blank

Informal

17 3.4

To forget something you planned to do by accident

is used when someone deliberately avoids or suddenly cannot remember instead

to let it slide

vsto blank

Informal

15 5.9

To ignore a small mistake to avoid an argument

is broader meaning not paying attention or sudden memory lapse not only small faults

to blank out

vsto blank

Informal

6 6.3

To suddenly be unable to remember something for a short time

is broader, including deliberate not paying attention as well as sudden blocks

to pretend not to notice

vsto blank

6 5.6

To act as if you do not see something to avoid making someone feel embarrassed

applies to real deliberate inattention or sudden memory loss not just acting

to pass up

vsto blank

Informal

2 4.7

To ignore someone you meet by pretending not to see them

is often deliberate or a sudden memory failure rather than accidental oversight

to slip one's mind

vsto blank

Informal

4.4

Forget to do something you planned to do

also includes deliberate avoidance or sudden mental lapses not only accidental forgetting

to totes forget

vsto blank

Informal

9.9

To not remember something at all

is more neutral and can mean deliberate avoidance or sudden lapse

Antonyms

to remember

∞ 1.0

To think about something from the past

to acknowledge

659 3.8

To admit that something is true or real

Idioms

point blank

Informal

35 5.0

In a very direct way without trying to hide anything

Phrasal Verbs

to fill in the blank

41 2.6

To write the missing word in a sentence or exercise

to draw a blank

Informal

8 4.5

Fail to remember something when you try to think of it

to blank out

Informal

6 6.3

To suddenly be unable to remember something for a short time

to blank out

Literature

3 6.4

To remove words or other information from a document to hide them

Compounds

point-blank

29 6.0

At very close range so little aiming is needed

blank slate

15 4.8

A situation that gives a fresh start with no past

blank check

15 3.7

A signed piece of paper from a bank with the amount left empty for someone to fill

point-blank

10 5.6

Direct and blunt without trying to hide the truth

blank canvas

7 3.9

A space that is empty and ready for new ideas

blank space

7 1.6

An empty area for writing or filling in information

blank check

7 4.6

Freedom to act or spend money without limits

blank verse

Literature

1 7.7

Unrhymed lines of poetry that usually have five beats and sound like natural speech

blankety-blank

Informal

1 9.5

To replace bad words when you are angry or annoyed

endorsement in blank

Formal

1 9.9

A signature that does not name a person, so anyone who holds a check or note can cash it

coin blank

Specialized

1 7.1

A flat metal piece ready to be made into a coin

blank shell

Specialized

1 6.2

A metal case for a gun that contains gunpowder but no bullet

blank revolver

Specialized

1 5.2

A gun that makes the sound of gunshots without firing bullets, used in training or plays

blank check

Specialized

1 6.5

A company formed to raise money from the public to buy other businesses

blank endorsement

Specialized

7.7

A signature on the back of a check that lets anyone holding it cash or deposit it

How Attentive

to notice

∞ 1.0

to blank

Informal

23 6.3

to overlook

205 2.9

Surface Forms

blank infinitive

blanked past

blanked past participle

blanking present participle

blanks third person singular

Etymology

Blank as a verb to ignore or forget can be remembered this way: a helpful image is leaving a name or feeling off the page, making it 'blank' in your mind. That's why to blank someone is to act as if they are not there or to have a sudden empty memory.