Use blind as an adjective for a person, animal, or eye that cannot see, and prefer person-first wording when the context calls for care.
Use blind as an adjective for a person, animal, or eye that cannot see, and prefer person-first wording when the context calls for care.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She is blind in the both eyes. | She is blind in both eyes. |
| A blind crossed the street. | A blind person crossed the street. |
| He is blind from one eye. | He is blind in one eye. |
Use blind with to for not noticing something, and before a noun for unquestioning feeling or judgment.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He was blind about the risks. | He was blind to the risks. |
| She stayed blind the evidence. | She stayed blind to the evidence. |
| They made a blind decision after reading all the data. | They made a careful decision after reading all the data. |
Use blind for light, injury, smoke, or emotion that takes away sight or clear judgment.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The flash blind the driver. | The flash blinds the driver. |
| Smoke blinded from the exit. | Smoke blinded us to the exit. |
| Anger was blind him to the facts. | Anger blinded him to the facts. |
Use blind for a window covering in everyday home contexts, and for a hide or screen in hunting or observation contexts.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Please close the blinders in the bedroom. | Please close the blinds in the bedroom. |
| The hunter sat in a window blind. | The hunter sat in a blind. |
| We raised the curtains by pulling the blind cord. | We raised the blind by pulling the cord. |
Use blind in poker for the forced bet or for the player position that posts it before the deal.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He put the blind before the cards. | He posted the blind before the cards. |
| The ante sat in the big blind. | The player sat in the big blind. |
| She folded the blind after seeing no cards. | She folded from the blind after seeing no good cards. |
Use blind for a named game effect only when the game itself uses that label for impaired vision or accuracy.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The enemy got a blinded for five seconds. | The enemy was blinded for five seconds. |
| The spell applied blindness but the game calls it blind. | The spell applied blind. |
| Blind always means the target cannot move. | Blind usually affects vision, targeting, or accuracy. |
Use blind after verbs such as go, fly, bake, buy, or test when the action happens without sight or prior knowledge.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| We went blind into the negotiation. | We went into the negotiation blind. |
| The pilot flew blindly through the instrument failure. | The pilot flew blind through the instrument failure. |
| She bought blind the mystery box. | She bought the mystery box blind. |
Use blind carefully across literal sight, figurative judgment, coverings, poker, games, and adverbial phrases, and avoid reducing people to a label when person-first wording is better.
Blind to loses the preposition, blind as a person label can sound blunt, and poker uses post the blind rather than simply pay the blind.
From Old English blind, meaning sightless or dark, from Germanic forms also seen in German and Dutch blind. The verb developed from the adjective.
What does blind mean most often?
Blind most often means unable to see, either completely or with severe loss of vision.
Is the blind acceptable?
The blind appears in some organization names and older collective uses, but blind people or people who are blind is usually more respectful.
What does blind mean in poker?
A blind is a forced bet, usually the small blind or big blind, posted before cards are dealt.
What is a window blind?
A window blind is a covering with fabric, slats, or another screen that blocks light and protects privacy.
What does blind mean as a verb?
To blind someone is to take away sight, dazzle them, or cloud clear judgment.
What does going in blind mean?
Going in blind means acting without seeing, looking, or having the usual information beforehand.
Where does blind come from?
Blind comes from Old English blind, tied to older Germanic words meaning sightless, dark, or obscured.