blackout

American  

[blak-aut] / ˈblækˌaʊt /

noun

• blackouts
  plural

1. the extinguishing or concealment of all visible lights in a city, military post, etc., usually as a precaution against air raids.

2. a period during a massive power failure when the lack of electricity for illumination results in utter darkness except from emergency sources, as candles.

3. Theater.

   1. the extinguishing of all stage lights, as in closing a vaudeville skit or separating the scenes of a play.

   2. Also called blackout skit. a skit ending in a blackout.

4. Pathology.

   1. temporary loss of consciousness or vision.

      She suffered a blackout from the blow on the head.

   2. a period of total memory loss, as one induced by an accident or prolonged alcoholic drinking.

      The patient cannot account for the bizarre things he did during his blackout.

5. a brief, passing lapse of memory.

   An actor may have an occasional blackout and forget a line or two.

6. complete stoppage of a communications medium, as by a strike, catastrophe, electrical storm, etc.: a radio blackout.

   a newspaper blackout;

   a radio blackout.

7. a stoppage, suppression, or obliteration.

   a news blackout.

8. a period during which a special sales offer, fare rate, or other bargain is not available.

   The airline's discount on fares does not apply during the Christmas week blackout.

9. Radio and Television. a prohibition that is imposed on the broadcasting of an event and has the purpose of encouraging or ensuring ticket sales.

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blackout British  

/ ˈblækaʊt /

noun

1. the extinguishing or hiding of all artificial light, esp in a city visible to an enemy attack from the air

2. a momentary loss of consciousness, vision, or memory

3. a temporary electrical power failure or cut

4. electronics a temporary loss of sensitivity in a valve following a short strong pulse

5. a temporary loss of radio communications between a spacecraft and earth, esp on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere

6. the suspension of radio or television broadcasting, as by a strike or for political reasons

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verb

1. (tr) to obliterate or extinguish (lights)

2. (tr) to create a blackout in (a city etc)

3. (intr) to lose vision, consciousness, or memory temporarily

4. (tr, adverb) to stop (news, a television programme) from being released or broadcast

blackout Cultural  

1. The complete loss of electrical power in a particular area. Blackouts can result from a natural disaster, a manmade catastrophe, or simply from an excess of energy demand over supply. (Compare brownout.)

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Discover More

Rolling blackouts to match supply and demand have become increasingly common in the United States.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• blackouts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of blackout

First recorded in 1910–15; noun use of verb phrase black out

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Explanation

A blackout is a sudden loss of electricity in a town or city. If you experience a blackout, it's helpful to have flashlights and candles handy. During a war or an energy crisis, a city may impose a blackout on its citizens, requiring them to turn off all lights and, during bombing raids, to cover windows and limit activity. There is also a figurative kind of blackout, when a government suppresses information deliberately, not allowing newspapers and TV stations to report what's really happening. Someone who faints or passes out experiences yet another kind of blackout, a loss of consciousness.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blackout blackouts

In his last public comments before the Fed’s blackout period, Chairman Kevin Warsh was neutral about monetary policy, saying he didn’t like to prejudge meetings.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026

He celebrated a good year in 1937 because, as Germany militarized, everyone needed paper for their windows to conduct blackout exercises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

As the lights flickered back on, baptism in blackout over, one attendee quipped that the show was now, officially, "very authentic".

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

For example, corporations are mostly in their earnings blackout periods, but the share-buyback period begins to reopen on Oct.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

I step on the wood stump beneath Colin’s window, and I’m halfway through the blackout curtain when I hear the voices.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

In blackouts, EV owners often do better than their friends and neighbors with regular cars for local driving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The view is that if things get better—if the blackouts stop, salaries rise, and basic conditions improve—there will be less pressure for a wholesale break from the current system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

The repeated blackouts have prompted rare protests in Cuba, where unauthorised demonstrations are illegal and those who defy the ban risk being jailed.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Since June the tiny west African nation has been hobbled by prolonged blackouts, which have reached a fever pitch in recent weeks, right at the peak of the hot season.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

In addition to the periodic glitches and blackouts, there were times when electronic computers would spit out answers so unexpected that it wasn’t clear if the machines were up to snuff.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

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