Blank

Blank is a term used to describe something that is empty, unfilled, or uncreated. As an adjective, it denotes lack of content, form, or data, as in a blank page or a blank field. As a noun, it refers to an empty space or sheet that is ready to be filled or used, such as a blank on a form, a sheet of paper, or a placeholder in a document. The concept also appears as a verb in phrases like to blank out or to blank a field, meaning to erase or remove content.

In publishing and typography, whitespace and blank areas are used deliberately to improve readability and layout. A blank page can serve as a deliberate design element or as a spacer. In forms and surveys, blanks are filled by respondents; blank spaces indicate missing information. In computing and data management, a blank or empty value can refer to a string with zero characters or a missing data value. Distinctions exist among blank, null, and zero; a blank string differs from a null value and from a string containing whitespace. In education and assessment, fill-in-the-blank items test knowledge by requiring a word or phrase to complete a sentence. In manufacturing, a blank is a preform workpiece that will be further processed, such as a metal or plastic blank used in machining or stamping; in glassmaking, a blank may refer to a workpiece ready for shaping. Other senses describe expressions or looks that are not stated, such as a blank look. The term is used across disciplines with nuanced meaning.