- having the very darkest colour, like coal or the sky at night
- a shiny black car
- black storm clouds
- She had curly black hair and hazel eyes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- very
- all
- completely
- …
- deep
- jet
- pitch
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- without light; completely dark
- a black night
- My head banged on a rock and everything went black.
Extra Examples- The wind and rain intensified the black darkness outside.
- Through the black night came the sound of thunder.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- very
- all
- completely
- …
- deep
- jet
- pitch
- …
- (often Black)belonging to a group of people who have dark skin, especially people who come from or whose ancestors came from Africa; connected with black people
- The film is set in a historically black community.
- a discussion of what it means to be Black and British
Extra ExamplesBlack is the word most widely used and generally accepted in Britain. In the US the currently accepted terms are African American or Black American. However, the term person of colour/color is now often the preferred way of talking in general about people who are not white. Do not confuse this term with coloured person, which is now considered offensive. note at AsianTopics People in societya1- a Black woman writer
- He's seen as a role model for young Black men.
- without milk
- Two black coffees, please.
- very dirty; covered with dirt
- chimneys black with smoke
- Go and wash your hands; they're absolutely black!
- full of anger or hate
- She's been in a really black mood all day.
- Rory shot her a black look.
- 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.
- (literary) evil or immoral
- black deeds/lies
- 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.
colour
with no light
people
tea/coffee
dirty
angry
depressing
evil
humour
Word OriginOld English blæc, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
See black in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee black in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English(beat somebody) black and blue
- (to hit somebody until they are) covered with bruises (= blue, brown or purple marks on the body)More Like This Alliteration in idiomsAlliteration in idioms
- belt and braces
- black and blue
- born and bred
- chalk and cheese
- chop and change
- done and dusted
- down and dirty
- in dribs and drabs
- eat somebody out of house and home
- facts and figures
- fast and furious
- first and foremost
- forgive and forget
- hale and hearty
- hem and haw
- kith and kin
- mix and match
- part and parcel
- puff and pant
- to rack and ruin
- rant and rave
- risk life and limb
- short and sweet
- signed and sealed
- spick and span
- through thick and thin
- this and that
- top and tail
- tried and tested
- wax and wane
the pot calling the kettle black
- (saying, informal) used to say that you should not criticize somebody for a fault that you have yourself
Check pronunciation:
black