Meaning of black in English

black

adjective

/blæk/ us

/blæk/

black adjective (COLOUR)

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having the darkest colour there is, like the colour of coal or of a very dark night:

black shoes

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I wanted a simple black dress, nothing fancy.
I heard a loud bang and then saw black smoke.
The zebra is a wild African horse with black and white stripes.
When you fill in the form, please write clearly in black ink.
Amalie was dressed completely in black, right down to black lipstick and a black earring.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Black, white & grey

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black adjective (PEOPLE)

A2 (also Black)

relating or belonging to people with black or dark brown skin, especially people who live in Africa or whose family originally came from Africa:

black culture

Black Americans

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There's a large Black community living in this area.
The armed forces are now giving positive encouragement to applications from Asians and Black people.
Britain is a multi-ethnic society, with many Black and Asian people.
He had a Black mother and a white father.

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The skin, & skin colour

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black adjective (COFFEE/TEA)

without any milk or cream added:

a cup of strong black coffee

I like my tea black, with sugar.

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Warm drinks

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black adjective (BAD)

without hope:

The future looked black.

literary

bad or evil:

a black-hearted villain

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Serious and unpleasant

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Morally wrong and evil

Idioms

black and blue
not be as black as you are painted
paint a black picture of something/someone

black

noun

/blæk/ us

/blæk/

black noun (COLOUR)

A2 [ U ]

the colour of coal or of the sky on a very dark night:

She often dresses in black (= in black clothes).

bgblue/DigitalVision Vectors(NO PRPER IMAGE)/GettyImages

black and white

Black and white photography has no colours except black, white, and grey:

in black and white The old newsreels were filmed in black and white.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Black, white & grey

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black noun (PEOPLE)

[ C ] offensive (also Black)

a word for a person who has black or brown skin, which may be considered offensive when used as a noun rather than an adjective

Grammar

Fixed expressions with and

We often use and in common fixed expressions. The order of the words cannot change: peace and quiet, pick and choose, come and go, knife and fork, black and white. …

Idioms

be (down) in black and white
be in the black
black-and-white
black is white
sth is the new black
see things in black and white

black

verb [ T ]

/blæk/ us

/blæk/

black verb [T] (MAKE DARK)

to put a black substance on something or to make something black:

The soldiers used to black their faces.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Black, white & grey

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black verb [T] (AVOID)

If a trade union or other organization blacks goods or people, it refuses to handle or work with them.

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Forbidding and banning things

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Phrasal verbs

black something out
black out
black (something) up

(Definition of black from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

black | American Dictionary

black

adjective, noun [ U ]

/blæk/

black adjective, noun [U] (COLOR)

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(of) the darkest color there is, like night:

He was dressed all in black.

Black coffee or tea has no milk or cream in it.

Idioms

in black and white

in the black

black

adjective

/blæk/

black adjective (DARK SKIN)

[ -er/-est only ]

of or belonging to a group of people having skin that is brown, esp. African-American people:

As a black woman, I am proud of my African-American heritage.

Note:

Although African-American is the word preferred by many, black is also widely used and is not offensive: Black leaders disagreed over how to respond. As a noun, African-American is now more commonly used, but when describing historical events, black may be used.

black adjective (SAD OR BAD)

without hope, very bad, or sad:

The blackest time of all was when his eyes failed.

(Definition of black from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

black | Business English

black

noun

FINANCE

/blæk/ us

in the black

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FINANCE, ACCOUNTING

a company or organization that is in the black has made a profit:

Analysts predict that the group will end the fiscal year in the black.

FINANCE, STOCK MARKET

shares that are in the black have increased in value:

Smaller shares ended in the black, but with less dramatic gains than the blue chips.

BANKING, ACCOUNTING

a bank account that is in the black has money in it:

We hope that the harder we work, the more our account will stay in the black.

go into/move into/return to, etc. the black

to start making a profit after losing money:

This is the biggest shopping day of the year, when retailers aim to go into the black.

to increase in value:

The main index actually moved back into the black late afternoon.

Compare

red

black

verb [ T ]

/blæk/ us

if a trade union blacks goods, an organization, etc. it refuses to deal with them

(Definition of black from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

What is the pronunciation of black?

Translations of black

in Chinese (Traditional)

顏色, 黑色的, 人…

in Chinese (Simplified)

颜色, 黑色的, 人…

in Spanish

negro, sin leche, solo…

in Portuguese

preto, negro, puro…

in more languages

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काळाकुट्ट, काळया रंगाचे, कोळश्यासारखे काळे…

黒い, 黒人の, 風刺的な…

kara, zenci ırkından, siyahi…

noir/noire, sombre, noir [masculine]…

negre…

zwart, donker, zwart maken…

நிலக்கரியின் நிறம் அல்லது மிகவும் இருண்ட இரவு போன்ற இருண்ட நிறத்தைக் கொண்டிருத்தல், தொடர்பு படுத்தக்கூடிய அல்லது கருப்பு அல்லது அடர் பழுப்பு தோல் கொண்ட மக்களைக் குறிக்கும், குறிப்பாக ஆப்பிரிக்காவில் வாழும் மக்கள் அல்லது யாருடைய குடும்பம் முதலில் ஆப்பிரிக்காவிற்கு வந்ததோ அதை குறிக்கும்…

काला, अश्वेत, श्वेत या गाढ़ा भूरे रंग के अफ्रीका में रहने वाले या अफ्रीकी मूल के निवासियों से संबंधित…

કાળો રંગ, કાળા લોકો, હબસી…

sort, neger, farve sort…

svart, mörk, smutsig…

hitam, gelap, tangan hitam…

schwarz, dunkel, schmutzig…

svart, sort, svart [neuter]…

سیاہ, کالا, سیاہ فام…

чорний, темний, брудний…

черный, чернокожий, негритянский…

నల్లని, నలుపు, నల్లని లేక ముదురు గోధుమ రంగు చర్మం ఉన్న మనుషులకు -- ముఖ్యంగా ఆఫ్రికాలో నివసించే ప్రజలు లేక ఆఫ్రికా నుండి వచ్చిన కుటుంబాలకు చెందిన వారికి -- సంబంధించినది లేక వాళ్లకు చెందినది…

أسود اللون, أسَوَد, ذُو بَشَرة سَوْدَاء…

কালোরঙের, কৃষ্ণবর্ণের, সবচেয়ে গাঢ় রং আছে এমন…

černý, temný, špinavý…

hitam, gelap, kotor…

ดำ, มืด, สกปรก…

màu đen, tối, bẩn thỉu…