black-list

The manager added the suspicious email address to the black-list.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To place on a blacklist: "black-list" means to put a person, group, or entity on a list of those who are considered undesirable, untrustworthy, or worthy of punishment, often resulting in exclusion from employment, services, or social opportunities.
   • To ostracize or boycott: It can also mean to deliberately exclude or refuse to deal with someone due to their actions, beliefs, or affiliations.

Usage Examples

• (The studio placed the actor on a list of people they would not hire.)
• (They refused to employ or work with union activists.)
• (She was formally excluded from membership.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be black-listed": to be officially recorded as unacceptable.
  • After the scandal, he was black-listed by every major publisher. (He was excluded from all publishing opportunities.)
• "to black-list someone by name": to specifically target an individual for exclusion.
  • The committee black-listed her by name in their internal report. (They explicitly identified her as someone to be avoided.)

Variants and Related Words

• Blacklist (n): a list of people or organizations that are considered undesirable or punished.
  • His name appeared on the government's blacklist. (He was on the official list of banned individuals.)
• Blacklisting (n): the act or process of placing someone on a blacklist.
  • Blacklisting of journalists is a violation of press freedom. (The practice of excluding reporters is unjust.)

Synonyms

• Boycott: to refuse to buy, use, or deal with something as a form of protest.
• Ostracize: to exclude someone from a society or group.
• Exclude: to deliberately not include someone.

Phrasal Verbs

• Black-list out: (rare) to remove someone from a blacklist.
  • After proving his innocence, they black-listed him out of the system. (They removed his name from the list.)
• Black-list against: (less common) to place someone on a blacklist due to a specific reason.
  • They black-listed him against his political views. (They listed him because of his political opinions.)

Related Idioms

• Put on the blacklist: to formally include someone on a list of undesirables.
  • The government put the activist on the blacklist after his speech. (They officially banned him from certain activities.)
• Blacklist someone’s name: to ensure a person’s name is recorded for exclusion.
  • They black-listed his name in every industry directory. (They made sure he could not find work in that field.)