From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdarknessdark‧ness /ˈdɑːknəs $ ˈdɑːrk-/ ●●● W3 noun [uncountable] 1 DARKwhen there is no light the long hours of darkness during winterin darkness The lamp suddenly went out, leaving us in darkness.total/pitch/complete darkness The room was in total darkness. We lit our campfire as darkness fell (=it became night). He stared out the window at the gathering darkness (=the night slowly coming).2 BAD BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONSevil or the devil His smooth manner covered a heart of darkness.the forces/powers of darkness (=the devil or evil people)3 CCthe dark quality of a colour the darkness of the lensesCOLLOCATIONSadjectivescomplete/total darknessIt was late and all the houses in the village were in total darkness.pitch darkness (=complete darkness)We ended up coming down the mountain in pitch darkness.deep/thick darkness literary:All around her was the deep darkness of a winter night.gathering/growing darkness literary (=night that is slowly coming)The garden was almost invisible now in the gathering darkness.verbsdarkness falls/comes (also darkness descends literary)As darkness fell, rescue workers had to give up the search.darkness closes in literary (=it becomes darker outside)The rain turned to snow and darkness closed in.be plunged into darkness (=be suddenly in darkness because the lights go out)Suddenly the electricity went off and we were plunged into darkness.phrasesthe hours of darkness (=the night)Desert animals come out during the hours of darkness when its cool.under cover of darkness (=when darkness makes you less likely to be seen)The attack was planned to take place under cover of darkness.
Examples from the Corpus
darkness• His smile was ovens and chains and darkness.• Colour films must be developed in complete darkness.• Northern Alaska experiences eight weeks of 24-hour darkness.• They fought 50 rounds, only to have the fight stopped because of darkness.• The city was a violent place at that time, and it was not safe to walk the streets during the hours of darkness.• They took her away, into the rainy darkness.• Even with headlights and streetlights on, it provided sudden darkness.• By midnight the wind had strengthened to gale force, and in the darkness there was high drama.• She could hear the sea thrashing about in the dark; for a moment the darkness looked as if it was shifting too.• A voice came from out of the darkness, but she couldn't see anyone.• Then, when it is all over ... Out of the darkness there came a single brilliant flash.• He had walked up to us from somewhere out of the darkness.• As my eyes became used to the darkness I could make out a bed in the corner of the room.• The darkness of the lenses changes when you go into the sun.in darkness• The clouds moved across the moon, leaving us in complete darkness.the forces/powers of darkness• He argued that by helping Men protect themselves against Chaos they would create an invaluable bulwark against the forces of darkness.• With Rex and Woodchip out of the picture and the forces of darkness set loose upon the land, how can we fail?• The beginning of the End, when the forces of Light battle the forces of Darkness.• In truth Gene probably believes that the forces of darkness are gathering, but he also believes in damage limitation.Darkness, TheThe DarknessDark‧ness, The /ˈdɑːknɪs $ ˈdɑːrk-/ a British rock group whose songs include I Believe in a Thing called Love and Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End). The main singer is Justin Hawkins. 