blind
blind — adjective
1. unable to use your eyes to see, either completely or in part.
unable to use your eyes to see, either completely or in part.
Aiko has been blind since birth, yet she travels alone by train.
pattern: be blind since birth
The old horse went blind after the fire in the stable.
pattern: go blind
Rashida reads labels with her fingers because she is blind.
A blind swimmer counted strokes to reach the wall safely.
After the blast, the guard was blind in one eye.
pattern: blind in one eye
- go blind
- blind in one eye
- blind from birth
- blind person
- sightless
more literary and less common in everyday speech
- visually impaired
broader and more formal; can include partial loss of sight
- unsighted
formal and often used in education or accessibility contexts
- sighted
able to see normally
Grammar Patterns
be blind
go blind
blind in one eye
blind from birth
Usage Note
Common after 'be', 'go', or 'become'. Often followed by phrases such as 'in one eye' or 'from birth'.
2. based on a feeling or belief so strong that someone does not stop to question it
based on a feeling or belief so strong that someone does not stop to question it.
Blind loyalty kept the guard from questioning the strange order.
pattern: blind + abstract noun
Diego felt blind panic when the boat engine suddenly stopped.
Blind hatred after the shop fire split the two families for years.
The club followed its captain with blind trust after one win.
collocation: blind trust
- blind faith
- blind panic
- blind loyalty
- blind trust
- unquestioning
stresses that no doubts are raised
- irrational
stronger; suggests the feeling goes against reason
- unthinking
emphasizes lack of reflection
Grammar Patterns
blind + abstract noun
blind with + emotion
Usage Note
Usually modifies abstract nouns such as 'faith', 'panic', 'loyalty', or 'trust'. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about failing to notice something.
3. not noticing a fact, or not admitting it, even when it is plain to others.
not noticing a fact, or not admitting it, even when it is plain to others.
Leila seemed blind to the danger signs in the deal.
pattern: be blind to something
The factory stayed blind to night-shift workers' complaints for years.
Noa was blind to the joke everyone else understood immediately.
Growing fame left the singer blind to her own mistakes.
collocation: blind to faults or mistakes
- blind to danger
- blind to the truth
- blind to faults
- blind to risk
- unaware
the closest everyday equivalent
- oblivious
often stronger; suggests complete lack of notice
- insensitive
used when someone fails to notice feelings or social signals
Grammar Patterns
be blind to something
Usage Note
Most often followed by 'to'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes failing to notice a fact, not an emotion or belief that is extreme.
Common Mistakes
4. describing a bend, corner, or entrance that drivers cannot see ahead of.
describing a bend, corner, or entrance that drivers cannot see ahead of.
A truck came fast around the blind bend near the bridge.
collocation: blind bend
Parents wanted a mirror at the blind corner by school.
collocation: blind corner
The farm gate opens onto a blind turn on the hill.
Police closed the lane after two crashes at that blind entrance.
- blind bend
- blind corner
- blind turn
- blind entrance
- obstructed
focuses on the view being blocked
- hidden
more general and less specific to driving
Grammar Patterns
blind bend
blind corner
blind turn
Usage Note
Usually appears before road or driving nouns. It describes limited visibility ahead, not a person's eyesight.
5. describing a study or trial where some people involved are kept from knowing key
describing a study or trial where some people involved are kept from knowing key details, so the result is less biased.
The team ran a blind trial with two kinds of tablets.
collocation: blind trial
Patients in the blind study did not know which cream they used.
collocation: blind study
A blind test compared five orange juices in plain paper cups.
collocation: blind test
In our blind test, guests picked the cheaper coffee twice.
collocation: blind test
- blind trial
- blind study
- blind test
- blind tasting
- masked
technical term, especially in medical research
- open-label
used when the treatment identity is known
- unblinded
describes a study after the hidden information is revealed
Grammar Patterns
blind test
blind trial
blind study
Usage Note
Most common with 'test', 'trial', and 'study'. It may describe single-blind or double-blind setups depending on who lacks the information.
6. already baked empty before any soft filling is added.
already baked empty before any soft filling is added.
The recipe starts with a blind tart shell and ripe peaches.
collocation: blind tart shell
Hana cooled the blind pastry case before adding lemon cream.
collocation: blind pastry case
The baker stacked blind pie crusts beside the warm oven.
During class, our teacher checked whether the blind base stayed crisp.
- blind pastry case
- blind tart shell
- blind pie crust
- blind base
Grammar Patterns
blind pastry case
blind tart shell
blind crust
Usage Note
Used only with pastry nouns such as 'case', 'shell', 'crust', or 'base'. Compare adverb sense 2, which names the baking action itself.
(as) blind as a bat
idiomUnable to see very well, especially without glasses.
Without my glasses, I am as blind as a bat.
Is Grandpa as blind as a bat without his reading glasses?
A situation where someone who does not know much tries to teach someone else who also does not know much.
Asking him for directions is the blind leading the blind.
The blind leading the blind happens when two beginners try to help each other.
love is blind
idiomWhen you love someone, you do not notice their bad qualities.
Maya thinks her boyfriend is perfect, but love is blind.
Love is blind, so she ignores his rude behavior.
Not any; used to emphasize that there is no amount of something.
He didn't pay a blind bit of attention to the teacher.
It won't make the blindest bit of difference if you arrive late.
To ignore something bad on purpose so you do not have to deal with it.
The manager turned a blind eye to the employee's mistakes.
Why does the government turn a blind eye to pollution?
blind — verb
1. to leave someone unable to use their eyes, either briefly or for good.
to leave someone unable to use their eyes, either briefly or for good.
Snow glare blinded the hikers on the bright white slope.
pattern: blind someone
A burst of acid blinded the guard in one eye.
pattern: blind someone in one eye
The stage lights blinded Omar as he walked onto the stage.
Dust from the crash briefly blinded the bus driver.
collocation: briefly blind
The explosion blinded several goats in the nearby field.
- blind someone permanently
- blind someone in one eye
- briefly blind
- blinded by sunlight
- dazzle
usually temporary and often caused by bright light
- deprive of sight
formal phrase for causing loss of vision
- heal
can restore or improve damage to the eyes
- restore sight
focuses on giving vision back
Grammar Patterns
blind someone
blind someone in one eye
be blinded by something
Usage Note
The object is usually a person or animal. Common causes include light, chemicals, dust, smoke, and explosions.
Common Mistakes
2. to keep someone from seeing the truth clearly or judging a situation fairly.
to keep someone from seeing the truth clearly or judging a situation fairly.
Anger blinded Priya to the help her brother offered.
pattern: blind someone to something
Easy profits blinded investors to the warning signs.
Fear blinded the child to the safe path home.
Pride can blind leaders to simple advice from junior staff.
collocation: blind someone to advice or facts
- blind someone to the truth
- blind someone to danger
- blind someone to risk
- blind someone to advice
- clarify
makes the facts easier to understand
- open someone's eyes
informal phrase for making someone notice the truth
Grammar Patterns
blind someone to something
Usage Note
Usually follows the pattern 'blind someone to something'. Compare adjective sense 3, which describes the state after this kind of influence.
Common Mistakes
blind — noun
1. a window covering that can be pulled, rolled, or tilted to block light or stop p
a window covering that can be pulled, rolled, or tilted to block light or stop people seeing in.
Mei pulled down the blind before the movie started upstairs.
pattern: pull down a blind
Morning sun slipped through the kitchen blind at six.
The hotel room had white blinds instead of heavy curtains.
plural: blinds
A cord on the blind broke after years of use.
The cat hid behind the blind and watched the street.
- Venetian blind
- roller blind
- pull down the blind
- raise the blind
- shade
especially common in American English
- window shade
plain descriptive term, often for a roller type
- roller blind
a specific type that rolls up around a tube
Grammar Patterns
pull down a blind
raise a blind
Venetian blind
Usage Note
Countable. Use the singular for one window covering and the plural for several windows or slatted coverings.
2. people as a group who cannot see.
people as a group who cannot see.
The museum offers touch tours for the blind on Fridays.
pattern: the blind
New low-floor buses improved access for the blind in Kaohsiung.
A charity fair raised money for the blind in Cebu.
Books in Braille opened new worlds for the blind.
collocation: services or books for the blind
- guide dogs for the blind
- school for the blind
- services for the blind
- access for the blind
- blind people
the more everyday and person-first alternative in many contexts
- people who are blind
more explicit and often preferred in careful writing
- the sighted
people as a group who can see
Grammar Patterns
the blind
Usage Note
Usually appears as 'the blind'. It can sound formal or old-fashioned, so in everyday speech many people prefer 'blind people' or 'people who are blind'.
Common Mistakes
3. a small hidden shelter where people watch birds or wild animals without being se
a small hidden shelter where people watch birds or wild animals without being seen.
Ravi sat in the wooden blind until the cranes returned.
pattern: sit in a blind
The guide built a grass blind near the river bank.
From the bird blind, visitors saw two deer at dawn.
collocation: bird blind
Photographers stayed quiet inside the blind all morning.
- bird blind
- hunting blind
- sit in a blind
- build a blind
- open platform
a place with no cover or concealment
Grammar Patterns
sit in a blind
bird blind
hunting blind
Usage Note
Often appears in wildlife, birdwatching, or hunting contexts. British English more often uses 'hide' for this idea.
blind — adverb
1. without knowing which option is which while something is being tested.
without knowing which option is which while something is being tested.
Volunteers tasted the soups blind and chose the spiciest bowl.
pattern: taste blind
Dr. Okafor assessed the lung scans blind after nurses removed the labels.
pattern: assess blind
Students smelled each juice blind behind a paper screen.
At the dairy fair, the samples were scored blind by three judges.
pattern: be scored blind
- taste blind
- test blind
- score blind
- assess blind
- under blind conditions
formal phrase used in research writing
- without labels
informal paraphrase often used for food or product tests
Grammar Patterns
test blind
taste blind
score blind
Usage Note
Common after verbs such as 'test', 'taste', 'assess', and 'score'. This adverb names the testing method rather than a general lack of knowledge.
2. with no filling inside while the pastry is baked first.
with no filling inside while the pastry is baked first.
Chef Bao baked the tart shell blind for twelve minutes.
pattern: bake something blind
The pie base should cook blind before the apple slices go in.
pattern: cook blind
At school, we baked the pastry blind with dry beans.
Nadia let the case cool after baking it blind.
pattern: after baking it blind
- bake blind
- cook blind
- bake the shell blind
- bake the pastry blind
- fill first
add the filling before baking
Grammar Patterns
bake blind
cook blind
Usage Note
Used mainly after 'bake' or 'cook' with words like 'case', 'shell', 'crust', or 'pastry'. Compare adjective sense 6, which describes the finished crust.
Common Mistakes
3. while flying an aircraft with little or no clear outside view.
while flying an aircraft with little or no clear outside view.
The pilot flew blind through thick cloud above the island.
pattern: fly blind
A laser strike left the crew flying blind for seconds.
pattern: flying blind
The rescue plane came home blind after sunset yesterday.
Bad ice on the window forced Sven to fly blind.
- fly blind
- flying blind
- come home blind
- forced to fly blind
- by instruments
focuses on the method used when outside view is poor
- without visibility
plain descriptive phrase
- visually
using clear outside sight while flying
Grammar Patterns
fly blind
flying blind
Usage Note
Mostly used with aircraft subjects and the verbs 'fly' or 'be flying'. This sense is literal, unlike adverb sense 4.
4. before you have enough facts or past experience to guide what you do.
before you have enough facts or past experience to guide what you do.
Our team went in blind and missed the extra fee.
pattern: go in blind
Quinn entered the debate blind, with no notes or data.
The mayor approved the stadium plan blind before seeing the cost report.
pattern: approve something blind
We were working blind until the test results finally arrived.
pattern: work blind
- go in blind
- work blind
- buy blind
- approve blind
- in the dark
informal phrase for lacking key information
- without guidance
plain paraphrase stressing lack of direction
- knowingly
with awareness of the important facts
- with full information
plain opposite phrase
Grammar Patterns
go in blind
work blind
buy blind
Usage Note
Common in figurative uses such as 'go in blind', 'buy blind', and 'work blind'. Unlike adverb sense 3, it is not about actual eyesight.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
'Blind' is the plain, everyday word for a person who cannot see, and it can also be used for complete or major loss of sight. 'Sightless' means almost the same thing, but it sounds more literary and is less common in ordinary conversation. 'Visually impaired' is broader and more formal: it includes people with partial sight loss as well as people who are fully blind, so it is often used in schools, medicine, and official services. 'Unsighted' is also formal and appears mainly in accessibility or education contexts. You might say 'A blind runner used a guide rope,' but a hospital form may ask whether a patient is visually impaired.
Common collocations
Prepositions
- blind to
Etymology
The word comes from Old English 'blind', which also had the basic meaning of not being able to see. It belongs to a wider Germanic family, including related forms in Old Norse, Old High German, and other early languages of northern Europe. Linguists connect that family to an older Indo-European root linked with becoming cloudy or dim, which helps explain why the word later grew figurative senses about poor judgment, hidden knowledge, and acting without clear guidance.