How to Use blank slate in a Sentence

blank slate

noun
  • She viewed her students as blank slates, just waiting to be filled with knowledge.
  • His face is a blank slate with phantom thoughts scribbled on it.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Sep. 2017
  • This rice is no blank slate, no side-of-starch, no white-carton staple.
    Leah Eskin, chicagotribune.com, 5 Sep. 2017
  • For the first time in his career, Mr. Joseph faced a blank slate.
    Daniel McDermon, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2017
  • The neutral dress served as the perfect blank slate for her diamond and emerald jewels.
    Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024
  • The program began as a blank slate, knowing only the rules of Go, and played games against itself.
    Quanta Magazine, 18 Oct. 2017
  • There are no blank slates in a city like New York, but the site of Cornell Tech came close.
    Justin Davidson, Daily Intelligencer, 13 Sep. 2017
  • Now in his fifth season, coach Kareem Richardson will have a nearly blank slate to work with — again.
    Maria Torres, kansascity, 1 Nov. 2017
  • Unlike tax theorists, lawmakers don’t have the luxury of a blank slate.
    Laura Saunders, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2017
  • Here, after all, was an almost entirely blank slate for new developments.
    Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Sep. 2017
  • Well, the Phillies have two things going for them: Empty pockets and a virtually blank slate.
    Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2017
  • Stone Mountain was a literal blank slate, just waiting for a suitable memorial to be carved into it.
    Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, 22 Aug. 2017
  • The basic assumption of behaviorism was that the human mind is a blank slate at birth, and is shaped through social conditioning throughout life.
    Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, 22 May 2017
  • However, citizens are not blank slates who can be easily manipulated by their leaders.
    Eric Guntermann, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2017
  • This time feels different if only because the Chargers and Rams have arrived within a year of each other, both starting over in a city that serves as a blank slate.
    David Wharton, latimes.com, 3 Sep. 2017
  • Nor can Lawrence -- gamely conveying alternating bouts of confusion and pain -- ultimately make much out of a character written as such a blank slate.
    Brian Lowry, CNN, 14 Sep. 2017
  • Ukraine isn’t an open desert, and the maps aren’t a blank slate.
    Mark Kimmitt, WSJ, 23 Mar. 2022
  • The action begins in the blank slate of the new apartment.
    Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Apr. 2022
  • Hayes had a blank slate to fill, a team to construct from scratch.
    Rory Smith, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023
  • With a blank slate to work with, Albanese did just that.
    Nathalie Kirby, House Beautiful, 2 June 2022
  • So if the idea of meal prep stresses you out, start with a blank slate.
    Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 30 Sep. 2020
  • In sum, our city was, and still is, a nearly blank slate.
    Jim Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2024
  • The one thing that could work for him is Heavey is mostly a blank slate.
    cleveland.com, 7 Feb. 2018
  • Use one of their templates, or start with a blank slate.
    Lindsey Hunter Lopez, USA TODAY, 21 May 2021
  • The draw marked the fifth blank slate of the season for Ranjitsingh and gave Louisville City a 7-2-2 record.
    The Courier Journal, The Courier-Journal, 9 June 2018
  • Like Mao’s China, Manchukuo was viewed as a blank slate.
    Ian Buruma, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022
  • Along with the cash prize, each finalist received the gift of a blank slate of time.
    Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 23 June 2021
  • Doughnuts are like a blank slate waiting to be adorned.
    Jeanette Settembre, WSJ, 13 May 2018
  • The fact that the transfers were coming in with a blank slate just like a new coaching staff helped too.
    Dallas News, 27 Dec. 2022
  • Gonzales Hasse has its roots in the gallery world, and the expansive, open space is intended to be a blank slate and will host future art exhibits.
    Rhonda Richford, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blank slate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: