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blindfold

/ˌblaɪn(d)ˈfoʊld/
/blaɪnd fəʊld/
IPA guide

Other forms: blindfolded; blindfolding; blindfolds

A blindfold is a strip of fabric that's tied across your eyes so you can't see. At a birthday party, you might wear a blindfold and attempt to pin a paper tail on a picture of a donkey.

A bank robber might blindfold a hostage, and a kindergarten teacher might also tie a blindfold on the birthday boy during a party game. In both cases, the blindfold makes the person unable to see what's going on. The earliest, 14th century version of the word was blindfelled, the past participle of blindfellan, "cover the eyes," from the Old English blindfellian, "to strike blind."

Definitions of blindfold
  1. noun
    a cloth used to cover the eyes
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    type of:
    cloth covering
    a covering made of cloth
  2. verb
    cover the eyes of (someone) to prevent him or her from seeing
    “the hostage was blindfolded and driven away”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    cover
    provide with a covering or cause to be covered
  3. adjective
    wearing a blindfold
    synonyms: blindfolded
    blind, unsighted
    unable to see
Pronunciation
US
/ˌblaɪn(d)ˈfoʊld/
UK
/blaɪnd fəʊld/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘blindfold'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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