From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishblackblack1 /blæk/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective (comparative blacker, superlative blackest) 1 COLOURcolourCC having the darkest colour, like coal or night a black evening dressjet/inky black (=very dark) jet black hair2 no light very dark because there is no light It was still pitch black (=very dark) out.3 PEOPLEpeople (also Black) a) SANbelonging to the race of people who originally came from Africa and who have dark brown skin → white Over half the students are black. b) [only before noun]SAN relating to black people politics from a black perspective Black and Asian music4 TEA/COFFEEdrinkDFD [only before noun] black coffee or tea does not have milk in it OPP white Black coffee, no sugar, please.5 DIRTYdirty informal very dirtybe black with soot/dirt/age etc 6 WITHOUT HOPESAD/UNHAPPYwithout hope sad and without hope for the future the blackest period of European history a mood of black despair It’s been another black day for the car industry, with more job losses announced.7 humour making jokes about serious subjects, especially death a very black joke8 ANGRYangry [only before noun] full of feelings of anger or hate → blackly Denise gave me a black look.9 → a black mark (against somebody)10 → not be as black as you are painted11 ALbadBAD literary very bad black deeds —blackness noun
Examples from the Corpus
black• Do you take your coffee black?• Most of the people in my neighborhood are black.• The letters were white on a black background.• Bonnie Raitt in illusion lace with black beading.• a shiny black car• My hands were black from working on the car.• If I remember, he was a dark young fellow, black hair and a squint in his right eye.• Mary's uncle had black hair with some white in it, and high, crooked shoulders.• a black-hearted villain• How can we support black individuals who feel powerless and isolated?• Denise gave me a black look.• Books portraying black men in a positive light are simply not part of the growth industry.• Tony was in a black mood.• contemporary Black music• Singed shrubbery rose from pastures that appeared like black velvet.jet/inky black• The horse stood sixteen hands high, its jet black coat gleaming in the sunlight.• Now, any kitten with tufts or streaks of white hair on an otherwise jet black coat will be ignored.• She could even see it in this thing, the pallor of it, the fine dust of jet black fur.• A woman was exercising a troupe of jet black greyhounds.• She stared calmly back, her jet black hair escaping from underneath the wimple.• An emaciated fellow with jet black hair, thin lips and large brooding eyes caught the friar's eye.• The best material is jet black, pure glass, free from bubbles or other imperfections.• It was inky black, with bright jewels of stars.pitch black• The room was pitch black.• She couldn't decipher it in the pitch black.• She lay there in the pitch black.• Gaza descended into chaos and pitch black as the power went out.• Why shave after you get home to the pitch black cabin and repeat the fumbling around?• If none of the office lights is on, it's pitch black in there.• It is pitch black round the clock and everyone is depressed, drunk and stinks of fish oil.• As she walked down the tree-lined road in the pitch black she managed to suppress her fear of the dark.• We could go from pitch black to brightness in the blink of an eye-and vice versa. be black with soot/dirt/age etc• His face and hands were black with dirt.• Outside my rattling window the green countryside was black with soot.• They entered a room with walls that were black with age and dirt.black day• It was a black day for the auto industry, with announcements of major job losses.• That was a particularly black day for those of us who had urged the President to take on the Chief at Interior.• Oh dear, that was a black day in Baldersdale.• It had been the blackest day of the war when the government announced the rationing of tea.• Thank you for looking after on those really black days when even he seemed too much to cope with.black joke• Frank Black joked as he passed me in the crowd en route to the stage. black look• And you can forget the black looks.• Matthew shot him a black look.• I gave him such a black look, however, that the smile froze on his face.• With another black look, the man led us to that door over there.• Some people would think a black look was aggressive others would not.blackblack2 ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 [uncountable]CC the dark colour of coal or night You look good wearing black. → coal-black2 (also Black) [countable]SAN someone who belongs to the race of people who originally came from Africa and who have dark brown skin → white laws that discriminated against blacks3 → be in the blackExamples from the Corpus
black• Black is his favorite color.• The laws were used to discriminate against blacks.• So soul, with the uncompromising Aretha as its star, was enjoyed and purchased by whites and blacks.• Minimalist in beige, black and cement with big arrangements of fresh flowers.• I remember this time after school there was a fight between blacks and whites.• It sees them as little more than rural ghettoes designed by previous hated white regimes to keep blacks and whites apart.• Put some more black around your eyes.• Most blacks were illiterate; even those who were educated were oppressed.• In the end, four whites and seventeen blacks were hanged; thirteen blacks were burned-at the stake.• The president's unilateral reforms will achieve little if he does not talk to blacks.blackblack3 verb [transitive] 1 British EnglishBEL if a trade union blacks goods or a company, it refuses to work with them The union has blacked all non-urgent work.2 CC old-fashioned to make something black → black out→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
black• The face relaxed and slid from view, the brick wall clouded and the screen blacked.• Her head was dashed on the rock below and she blacked out.• Soon after that I blacked out.From Longman Business Dictionaryblackblack1 /blæk/ adjective not allowed by TRADE UNIONs to be handled or used by their members during a disagreement between management and employeesThe British Seamen’s Union declared the ship black and picketed her on her return from Loch Fyne.blackblack2 verb [transitive] British English if a TRADE UNION blacks a company or blacks goods, it refuses to work with them or deal with themSYNBOYCOTT→ See Verb tableblackblack3 noun FINANCECOMMERCE in the black if a business is in the black, it is making a profitThe group is still in the black but trading in the first two months of the year has been difficult. → compare in the red under redOrigin black1 Old English blæc 