What does noir in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word noir in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use noir in French.

The word noir in French means black, dark, black, bleak, gloomy, black, dark, darkness, black person, black man, black woman, drunk, blind drunk, off the books, black bass, black skimmer, black butter sauce, black butter sauce, buckwheat, greaser, black pudding, river birch, be in the doldrums, lark bunting, It is written in black and white, black coffee, black duck, bring bad luck, black oak, dark chocolate, plain chocolate, dark gourmet chocolate, black body, blackbody, black-billed cuckoo, black swan, jet-black, in the dark, give a black look, shoot a black look, black diamond, contradict yourself, the Jolly Roger, blank screen, blank screen, in black and white, be in the dark, be completely in the dark, be heaving, be dark, buckwheat flour, black and white film, film noir, fade to black, buckwheat crêpe, buckwheat pancake, black humour, dark humour, it is dark, give a black look, shoot a black look, give a black look, shoot a black look, saithe, Black Monday, Wall Street Crash, black market, black kite, black sheep, black as ink, as black as ink, lamp black, black and white, in black and white, African American, African-American, Afro-American, Black American, African American, African-American, Afro-American, Black American, black walnut, black eye, black gold, black bear, bad bread, meagre fare, Jolly Roger, black-and-white photograph, pied noir, pied noir, plunge into darkness, blackhead, black spot, accident black spot, black pepper, Intertropical Convergence Zone, precarious situation, the Black Prince, black radish, black look, noir fiction, roman noir, soft soap, blackboard, black-and-white television, black-and-white television set, black tea, off the books work, work off the books, black hole, blackout, black vulture, dressed in black, blackout, be negative, be pessimistic, disapproval vote. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word noir

black

adjectif (couleur)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Les corneilles sont noires.
Crows are black.

dark, black, bleak, gloomy

adjectif (triste, macabre)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Il a les idées noires aujourd'hui !
ⓘCette phrase n'est pas une traduction de la phrase originale. There was a funereal atmosphere in the house and I didn't stay long.

black

nom masculin (couleur)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
On dit que le noir amincit.
People say black is slimming.

dark, darkness

nom masculin (obscurité)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Petit, Pierre avait peur du noir.
When he was little, Peter was scared of the dark.

black person, black man, black woman

(personne à la peau noire)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les Noirs sont originaires d'Afrique.
Black people originally come from Africa.

drunk, blind drunk

adjectif (familier (ivre)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Elles sont revenues fines noires du restaurant.
They came back from the restaurant completely plastered.

off the books

locution adverbiale (sans être déclaré) (informal)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Mon plombier m'a réparé mon chauffe-eau au noir. J'ai fait faire des travaux chez moi au noir.

black bass

nom masculin (poisson) (fish)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black skimmer

nom masculin (oiseau de mer) (wading bird)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black butter sauce

nom masculin (beurre brûlé) (cookery)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black butter sauce

nom masculin (sauce pour poisson) (cookery)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

buckwheat

nom masculin (sarrasin) (cereal)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le blé noir est un des noms du sarrasin.

greaser

nom masculin (yéyé) (US, equivalent)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black pudding

nom masculin (saucisse de porc au sang) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le boudin noir est farci de sang d'animal préalablement cuisiné.

river birch

nom masculin (type de bouleau) (tree)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

be in the doldrums

locution verbale (figuré (déprimer) (colloquial)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

lark bunting

nom masculin (type de pinson) (bird)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

It is written in black and white

(figuré (textuellement, c'est explicite) (figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

black coffee

nom masculin (café sans sucre ni lait)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black duck

nom masculin (variété de canards)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

bring bad luck

nom masculin (figuré (porte-malheur)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mon collègue est mon chat noir. Je ne veux pas qu'il s'occupe de mes dossiers.
My colleague brings me bad luck; I do not want him to work on my cases.

black oak

nom masculin (variété de chêne)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

dark chocolate, plain chocolate

nom masculin (chocolat fort en cacao)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Valérie n'aime que le chocolat noir.

dark gourmet chocolate

nom masculin (chocolat noir de qualité)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black body, blackbody

nom masculin (objet électromagmético-absorbant)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black-billed cuckoo

nom masculin (oiseau : coucou américain)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black swan

nom masculin (espèce de cygne)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

jet-black

locution adjectivale (très noir et brillant)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Elle avait de magnifiques cheveux d'un noir de jais

in the dark

locution adverbiale (dans l'obscurité)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Au cinéma, le film est projeté dans le noir.

give a black look, shoot a black look

locution verbale (fusiller du regarder)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Stéphanie a dardé un regard noir sur son collègue lorsqu'il a abordé un point non prévu avec leur client.

black diamond

nom masculin (formation naturelle du diamant)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

contradict yourself

locution verbale (figuré (changer complètement d'avis)

(transitive verb and reflexive pronoun: Transitive verb with reflexive pronoun--for example, "Enjoy yourself." "They behaved themselves.")

the Jolly Roger

nom masculin (emblèmes des pirates) (pirate flag)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

blank screen

nom masculin (écran où rien n'est affiché)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

blank screen

nom masculin (figuré (écran vide d'information)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

in black and white

locution adverbiale (sans couleurs)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il fait ses photos en noir et blanc.

be in the dark, be completely in the dark

locution verbale (familier (ne pas savoir quoi penser) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be heaving

locution verbale (familier (grouiller de gens) (informal)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be dark

locution verbale (clareté : être très sombre)

buckwheat flour

nom féminin (farine de sarrasin)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La farine de blé noir est peu panifiable.

black and white film

nom masculin (film sans couleurs) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ce soir, on regarde un film en noir et blanc.

film noir

nom masculin (film dramatique)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

fade to black

nom masculin (Cinéma (disparition progressive d'une image) (Cinema)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

buckwheat crêpe, buckwheat pancake

nom féminin (galette de sarrasin) (food)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les galettes de blé noir sont délicieuses en plat salé.

black humour, dark humour

nom masculin (humour critique et amer) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

it is dark

(il n'y a pas de lumière)

Il fait noir durant l'éclipse de soleil.

give a black look, shoot a black look

(fusiller du regarder)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

give a black look, shoot a black look

(fusiller du regarder)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

saithe

nom masculin (poisson : colin noir) (fish)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'ai demandé 3 filets de lieu noir au poissonnier.

Black Monday, Wall Street Crash

nom masculin invariable (krach boursier du 28 octobre 1929) (1929)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black market

nom masculin (marché illégal non soumis aux taxes)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black kite

nom masculin (rapace à queue en V) (bird of prey)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black sheep

nom masculin (personne mis à l'écart) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black as ink, as black as ink

adjectif invariable (très sombre) (very dark)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

lamp black

nom masculin (résidu de combustion carboné)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black and white

(sans couleurs)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Il y a une exposition de photos noir et blanc.

in black and white

locution adverbiale (figuré (indiscutablement) (figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

African American, African-American, Afro-American, Black American

adjectif (relatif aux Noirs d'Amérique)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Le jazz est une musique noire-américaine.

African American, African-American, Afro-American, Black American

(Afro-Américain) (person)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les Noirs-Américains sont aujourd'hui présents à tous les niveaux de la société.

black walnut

nom masculin (noyer d'Amérique) (tree)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black eye

nom masculin (figuré (cocard)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les garçons se sont battus et Pierre est revenu avec un œil au beurre noir.

black gold

nom masculin (figuré (pétrole)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'ai placé quelques investissements dans l'or noir.

black bear

nom masculin (ours nord américain) (mammal)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

bad bread

nom masculin (pain de qualité inférieure)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

meagre fare

nom masculin (figuré (piètre nourriture) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Jolly Roger

nom masculin (drapeau des pirates) (pirate flag)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black-and-white photograph

nom féminin (photo sans couleurs)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les photographies noir et blanc plaisent.

pied noir

(familier (Français d'Afrique du nord) (French national born in North African colony)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Bon nombre de Pieds-Noirs ont dû fuir à cause de la guerre d'Algérie.

pied noir

adjectif invariable (familier (lié aux Français d'Afrique du nord)

(noun as adjective: Describes another noun--for example, "boat race," "dogfood.")
La communauté pied-noir a manifesté pour réclamer la vérité sur les exactions commises pendant la guerre.

plunge into darkness

locution verbale (mettre dans l’obscurité)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Il faut plonger une salle dans le noir pour développer des photos. La coupure d'électricité nous a plongés dans le noir pendant plusieurs heures.

blackhead

nom masculin (peau : type de bouton) (skin)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black spot, accident black spot

nom masculin (figuré (zone de concentration de difficultés) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black pepper

nom masculin (poivre mûr séché) (condiment)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Intertropical Convergence Zone

nom masculin (zone à faibles vents) (geography)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

precarious situation

nom masculin (figuré (situation inextricable)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

the Black Prince

nom masculin (fils d'Édouard III d'Angleterre) (son of Edward III)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black radish

nom masculin (long légume racine)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le radis noir se consomme cru et pelé.

black look

nom masculin (regard très menaçant)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

noir fiction, roman noir

nom masculin (roman policier sordide)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

soft soap

nom masculin (mélange d'huile d'olive et de potasse)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le savon noir est très efficace pour nettoyer.

blackboard

nom masculin (tableau où on écrit à la craie)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Chaque salle de classe possède son tableau noir.

black-and-white television, black-and-white television set

nom masculin (télé sans couleurs)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mes parents ont d'abord eu un téléviseur noir et blanc.

black tea

nom masculin (type de thé)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

off the books work

nom masculin (travail illégal non déclaré)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le BTP a souvent recours au travail au noir.

work off the books

locution verbale (travailler sans être déclaré) (informal)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
L'URSSAF fait la chasse à ceux qui travaillent au noir.

black hole

nom masculin (astrophysique : lieu de densité extrême) (astrophysics)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

blackout

nom masculin (accident : perte de mémoire)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

black vulture

nom masculin (vautour)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'urubu noir a un corps noir et une tête et des pattes grises.

dressed in black

locution adjectivale (habillé en noir)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

blackout

nom masculin (perte passagère de la vision)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les pilotes de chasse expérimentent un voile noir lorsque leur cerveau n'est plus assez irrigué.

be negative, be pessimistic

locution verbale (être pessimiste)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Pierre voyait tout en noir cette semaine-là.

disapproval vote

nom masculin (rare (vote pondéré)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le terme vote noir apparaît depuis peu en opposition au terme vote blanc lors d'une élection.

Let's learn French

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