whiteout
Americannoun
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Meteorology.
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a condition, found in polar regions, in which uniform illumination from snow on the ground and from a low cloud layer makes features of the landscape indistinguishable.
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a condition of heavily falling or blowing snow in which visibility is very poor.
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an act or instance of whiting out with a correction fluid.
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a white correction fluid used for this.
a bottle of whiteout.
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a mistake, as in typing, that has been whited out with a correction fluid.
Etymology
Origin of whiteout
1940–45; whiteout ( defs. 2, 3, 4 ) noun use of verb phrase white out; whiteout ( def. 1 ) white + (black)out
Explanation
A whiteout happens when snow falls so fast and heavily that you can't see very far in front of you. It's not safe to drive in a whiteout. Whiteout is an official meteorological term, also known as "milky weather." A true whiteout occurs when there's snow on the ground, falling or blowing snow, and a hazy sky that contributes to an observer's inability to see anything but vague shapes. It was coined in the mid-20th century to describe an extremely heavy U.S. prairie snowfall. In 1977, people started calling the white correction fluid used to cover typewritten mistakes whiteout, though the brand name is "Wite-Out."
Vocabulary lists containing whiteout
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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.
Presidents Day also brought heavy snow to Northern California and the Eastern Sierra, with several feet predicted in the mountains and whiteout conditions near Mammoth Mountain and Lake Tahoe.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
Monday morning, after a weekend of snowsquall and whiteout conditions, the crew unloaded the cargo.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025
The weather could bring whiteout conditions that will make travel difficult, according to NOAA.
From BBC • Nov. 19, 2024
About 90 minutes into the day’s march across the ice cap, whiteout conditions and howling winds bear down on them, zapping all visibility and prompting a pointed back-and-forth.
From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2024
At dusk the whiteout began to break up.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
