black
black [black blacks blacked blacking blacker blackest] adjective, noun, verb BrE [blæk] NAmE [blæk]
adjective (black·er, black·est)
COLOUR
1. having the very darkest colour, like night or coal
•a shiny black car
•black storm clouds
WITH NO LIGHT
2. without light; completely dark
•a black night
PEOPLE
3. (also Black)belonging to a race of people who have dark skin; connected with black people
•a black woman writer
•black culture Black is the word most widely used and generally accepted in Britain. In the US the currently accepted term is African American.
TEA/COFFEE
4. without milk
• Two black coffees, please.
compare ↑white
DIRTY
5. very dirty; covered with dirt
•chimneys black with smoke
• Go and wash your hands; they're absolutely black!
ANGRY
6. full of anger or hatred
• She's been in a really black mood all day.
•Rory shot her a black look.
DEPRESSING
7. without hope; very depressing
•The future looks pretty black.
•It's been another black day for the north-east with the announcement of further job losses.
EVIL
8. (literary)evil or immoral
•black deeds/lies
HUMOUR
9. dealing with unpleasant or terrible things, such as murder, in a humorous way
•‘Good place to bury the bodies,’ she joked with black humour.
•The play is a black comedy.
see also ↑blackly
more at the pot calling the kettle black at ↑pot n.
Word Origin:
Old English blæc, of Germanic origin.
Thesaurus:
black adj.
1.
•It's pitch black outside tonight.
dark • • unlit •
Opp: light
a black/dark night
go black/dark
pitch black/dark
2. (especially BrE)
•a black girl
African American • • non-white • • mixed race • |AmE of color •
black/African American/non-white/mixed race people
people of mixed race/color
black/African American culture
Black or African American? Black is the mostly widely used and accepted term in Britain; a black person from the US is African American. Black can also be used as a noun, but it is only acceptable in the plural. Use the adjective for singular use
•equality for blacks and whites
• a black man/woman
Example Bank:
•It was pitch black outside.
•She had beautiful jet-black hair.
•The sky looks very black.
•His hands were all black from messing with the car.
•He denounced these acts as ‘black deeds‘.
•It's been another black day for the north-east with the announcement of further job losses.
•My head banged on a rock and everything went black.
•The future looks pretty black, I'm afraid.
•The wind and rain intensified the black darkness outside.
•Through the black night came the sound of thunder.
•a black girl
•a black man/woman
•equality for blacks and whites
Idioms: ↑black and blue ▪ ↑black and white ▪ ↑in black and white ▪ ↑in the black ▪ ↑not as black as he is painted
Derived Word: ↑blackness
Derived: ↑black out ▪ ↑black something out
noun
COLOUR
1. uncountable the very darkest colour, like night or coal
•the black of the night sky
• Everyone at the funeral was dressed in black.
PEOPLE
2. (also Black)countable, usually plural a member of a race of people who have dark skin In this meaning black is more common in the plural. It can sound offensive in the singular. Instead, you can use the adjective (‘a black man/woman’) or, in the US, African American.
Word Origin:
Old English blæc, of Germanic origin.
verb
1. ~ sth/sb (BrE)to refuse to deal with goods or to do business with sb as a political protest
Syn: ↑boycott
•The unions have blacked all imports from the country.
2. ~ sth to make sth black
Syn: ↑blacken
Verb forms: 
Word Origin:
Old English blæc, of Germanic origin.
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