outage

[ ou-tij ]

noun

1. an interruption or failure in the supply of power, especially electricity.
2. the period during which power is lost:

   a two-hour outage on the East Coast.

3. a stoppage in the functioning of a machine or mechanism due to a failure in the supply of power or electricity.
4. the quantity of goods lost or lacking from a shipment. Compare innage ( def 1 ).
5. Aeronautics. the amount of fuel used during a flight. Compare innage ( def 2 ).

outage

/ ˈaʊtɪdʒ /

noun

1. a quantity of goods missing or lost after storage or shipment
2. a period of power failure, machine stoppage, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of outage¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; out + -age

Example Sentences

But the outage has raised the question of what that proportional response would look like, and whether it would be legal.

From The Daily Beast

We know that a transformer fire often leads to a power outage.

From The Daily Beast

See the funniest tweets about the outage from news junkies, pundits, Times reporters, and more.

From The Daily Beast

The length of this outage is not yet determined, but we hope it will be at most until tomorrow morning.

From The Daily Beast

A few beats later, Tunku articulated this widespread anxiety: “Did Chinese hackers trigger the outage?”

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• blackout
• brownout
• disruption
• interruption