outage
Americannoun
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an interruption or failure in the supply of power, especially electricity.
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the period during which power is lost.
a two-hour outage on the East Coast.
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a stoppage in the functioning of a machine or mechanism due to a failure in the supply of power or electricity.
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the quantity of goods lost or lacking from a shipment.
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Aeronautics. the amount of fuel used during a flight.
noun
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a quantity of goods missing or lost after storage or shipment
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a period of power failure, machine stoppage, etc
Etymology
Origin of outage
Explanation
An outage is a sudden interruption in a service. An internet outage means you'll have to wait to watch your favorite show online. You may experience a power outage during a hurricane or snowstorm, when you can’t flip on the lights or use the microwave until crews repair the electrical lines. A computer network or server outage can have many causes (sometimes these are scheduled breaks in service, allowing maintenance to be done). Outages can be annoying and inconvenient, or even dangerous. The American coinage outage, first used in 1903, was modeled on shortage.
Vocabulary lists containing outage
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 24–April 30, 2021
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 2–October 8, 2021
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 9–February 15, 2025
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A production outage is expected to ripple through depleted U.S. aluminum stocks in the coming months, further putting pressure on prices—which have already been battered by tariff challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Videos on social media have documented the outage, with one appearing to show it resulting in a highway collision, although police said no injuries had been reported and passengers exited their vehicles safely.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
In December 2025, a large power outage in San Francisco led Waymo taxis to stop working around the city, causing huge traffic jams.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
“What matters now is not only the volume lost, but the precedent set. Once critical Gulf energy infrastructure is seen as vulnerable, buyers will price that risk for longer than the initial outage itself.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
I explained that the phone had accidentally dropped onto the kitchen floor while I’d been talking to Thomas, but left out the part about the exploding grapes causing a power outage.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
