brownout
the elimination of some or reduction of all electric lights of a city, especially as a precaution against attack in time of war.
any curtailment of electric power, as by a severe storm.
Origin of brownout
1Words that may be confused with brownout
- blackout, brownout
Words Nearby brownout
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use brownout in a sentence
That led the department to declare an emergency brownout, limiting stations that have two crews to just one on a rotating basis.
Morning Report: Cities Are Figuring Out How to Meet California’s New Composting Law | Voice of San Diego | January 5, 2022 | Voice of San DiegoIn recent weeks, as India suffered a nationwide coal shortage, many regions, including Rajasthan, began to see rolling brownouts.
India says it will reach net-zero emissions by 2070. Can renewables meet the growing demand of more than 1 billion people? | Gerry Shih, Brady Dennis | November 4, 2021 | Washington PostThere weren’t many holiday light displays during December of 1973 as Christmas carols came with brownouts.
‘Defund the Police’ Was a Catchy Slogan. It’s Also Why a Policing Bill Fell Apart | Philip Elliott | September 23, 2021 | TimeThis situation has led SIP, a company whose backers include Google parent Alphabet, to invest $100 million in what SIP calls a “virtual power plant” that could soon make rolling brownouts a thing of the past.
A $100 million ‘virtual power plant’ could put an end to California’s power woes | Jeff | December 7, 2020 | Fortune
British Dictionary definitions for brownout
/ (ˈbraʊnˌaʊt) /
a dimming or reduction in the use of electric lights in a city, esp to conserve electric power or as a defensive precaution in wartime
a temporary reduction in electrical power: Compare blackout (def. 3)
a temporary slowing down of the workings of the internet caused when too many users attempt to access it at the same time
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for brownout
A situation in which the voltage in a power grid is reduced below its normal level but not entirely eliminated. (Compare blackout.)
Notes for brownout
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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