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• load-shedding
  load-shedding

  noun

  the deliberate shutdown of electric power in a part or parts of a power-distribution system, generally to prevent the failure of the entire system when the demand strains the capacity of the system.
• load shedding
  load shedding

  noun

  the act or practice of temporarily reducing the supply of electricity to an area to avoid overloading the generators

load-shedding

American  

[lohd-shed-ing] / ˈloʊdˌʃɛd ɪŋ /

Or loadshedding

noun

1. the deliberate shutdown of electric power in a part or parts of a power-distribution system, generally to prevent the failure of the entire system when the demand strains the capacity of the system.

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load shedding British  

noun

1. the act or practice of temporarily reducing the supply of electricity to an area to avoid overloading the generators

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Etymology

Origin of load-shedding

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

load-shedding load shedding

Ghising, 55, won significant public support when he led the Nepal Electricity Authority in tackling the Himalayan country's load-shedding crisis.

From Barron's ● Dec. 30, 2025

“Our 40,000 employees that we have are more committed, more motivated, because load-shedding really was discouraging all of us, morale was very low,” says Daphne Mokwena, Eskom’s national spokesperson.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2024

But now there has been no load-shedding for more than four months - since 05:00 on 26 March to be precise - the longest break in more than four years.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2024

The power cuts, referred to as load-shedding, have caused much frustration, not least on the roads as traffic lights often do not work, causing gridlock.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2023

"Sorry there's load-shedding the first night you arrive, Tara. The power should be back soon, though. And the air-conditioning."

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

At an ice cream parlour in Soweto, one company has been struggling to keep their frozen treats cold amid rolling power-cuts, referred to locally as "load shedding".

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2023

"As a last resort, organised, temporary and rotating load shedding outages can be activated to avoid a widespread incident," RTE said.

From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2022

"But ultimately to put load shedding to bed, what we need is additional capacity because the system as it is at the moment is still unreliable and unpredictable," de Ruyter said.

From Reuters ● Jul. 16, 2022

But the entire country is now in the grip of long, daily power cuts, known euphemistically here as "load shedding".

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2022

While neighboring streets are plunged into darkness during load shedding, the area outside his shop is still illuminated, attracting people from all over in search of a late-night snack.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2022