What does blacked mean?
Blacked is the past tense and past participle of the verb black, which means to make something black in colour or to darken it deliberately. Its most common modern appearance is in the phrasal form blacked out, a remarkably versatile expression that can describe a brief loss of consciousness, a total failure of electrical power across a region, the deliberate covering of windows during wartime blackouts, or the redaction of sensitive information from a document. In older or more specialised usage, to have blacked an object meant applying a black polish or coating, as was once routine for stoves, grates, and boots. The word carries no strong emotional connotation on its own, but the various blackout senses range from the mundane (a censored file) to the dramatic (a pilot blacking out under extreme g-force). Because of this breadth, context is essential to understanding which sense is intended.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'black')The past tense and past participle of the verb 'black', meaning to make something black in colour, or to cover over, obscure, or censor something.
- To make or become black in colour; to apply black polish or coating.
- To cover over or obscure completely (as in 'blacked out' — of lights, windows, or vision).
- To censor or redact text by covering it with black marks.
- (Of a person) to lose consciousness briefly ('blacked out').
"She blacked the stove with polish until it shone like a mirror."
"He blacked the fireplace grate with graphite polish every winter."
"During the air raid, the whole city blacked its windows to avoid detection."
In British English, to say someone 'blacked' can mean they blacked up — but the far more common phrase is 'blacked out', which can mean fainting, losing power, or censoring a document — three meanings hiding in one tiny verb.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blacked
Blacked derives from the Old English adjective blæc, meaning black or dark, one of the oldest colour words in the Germanic languages, related to Old Norse and Old High German cognates such as svartr's cousins in other branches. As English developed the habit of converting adjectives into verbs, black came to mean both 'to make black' and 'to polish with blacking'. The phrasal verb black out emerged in the early twentieth century, first for theatrical stage-lighting effects and later for wartime air-raid precautions, power failures, censorship, and loss of consciousness.
Related word forms
How blacked is actually used
Almost always encountered as part of the phrasal form 'blacked out', which carries several distinct senses: loss of consciousness, loss of electrical power, censorship/redaction, or deliberate darkening. The simple transitive sense (applying black polish) is now somewhat dated or technical. Avoid using the term in racial contexts, where certain historical usages are considered offensive.
Easily confused with blacked
'Blacked' means made black or obscured/censored, whereas 'blocked' means obstructed or prevented from passing.