outage

American  

[ou-tij] / ˈaʊ tɪdʒ /

noun

outages plural

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.

5. Aeronautics. the amount of fuel used during a flight.

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outage British  

/ ˈaʊtɪdʒ /

noun

1. a quantity of goods missing or lost after storage or shipment

2. a period of power failure, machine stoppage, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outage

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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outage outages

HP said the payment helps ensure its CEO is available to run the company during a power outage at his residence, and it disclosed the perk in accordance with regulatory requirements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

In one example, a power outage in 2025 delayed progress for 141 days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

The same storm caused a GPS outage during a critical planting time in the Dakotas and northern Minnesota that cost farmers an estimated $1 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Ackland said the telecoms company was conducting welfare checks on customers who had called emergency services during the outage.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

I step outside to see if it’s a power outage everywhere or just in our apartment.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

In some areas, videos containing false information about power outages prompted residents to panic buy emergency supplies.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Brown tree snakes have driven many of Guam's native forest birds to local extinction, and they cause hundreds of power outages each year by climbing utility poles and electrical equipment.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

The firm warned in its annual report it needed to secure fresh financing to stay afloat after taking a £55m hit from outages over the winter.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

There are other outages too, including in Russia, where Ukraine has damaged several refineries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

He argued that at this time of morning, viewership would be low, especially locally with the widespread power outages.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Related Words

• blackout
• brownout
• disruption
• interruption