outage

American  

[au-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

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Etymology

Origin of outage

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

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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

The average response time to repair a streetlight outage rose to 224 days from 31.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

But management claimed residents had been kept informed since the outage began and that it intended to hold a residents' meeting in the near future.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Over 1,500 users flagged issues with the app on platform outage monitor Downdetector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Revolut has been hit by an outage which it says is impacting "multiple services", as thousands of customers report problems.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 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

Residents say they still experience outages during heavy storms, as Laos's own electricity infrastructure is outdated and the state utility is heavily in debt.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Nearly 12% of the world’s fuel refining capacity is offline due to drone and missile attacks in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the U.A.E, as well as planned outages related to refinery maintenance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

It also suggests having a FM radio for updates during outages, and writing down the frequencies of any national or local radio stations you use for news.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Limiting power through planned cuts or emergency outages will hit the utility's ability to pump water, including to high-rise apartment blocks, he told epravda.com recently.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

Kathy had grown up in Baton Rouge and was used to the hurricane routine: the litany of preparations, the waiting and watching, the power outages, the candles and flashlights and buckets catching rain.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

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Related Words

• blackout
• brownout
• disruption
• interruption

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