outage

noun

out·​age ˈau̇-tij 

1

: a quantity or bulk of something lost in transportation or storage

2

a

: a failure or interruption in use or functioning

b

: a period of interruption especially of electric current

Examples of outage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Waymo driverless cars stalled during a major power outage in San Francisco last year. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 6 July 2026

The government also has been rationing power with intentional outages that can stretch to more than 24 consecutive hours. — ABC News, 6 July 2026

The attacks forced all three centers offline and triggered outages across banking, payments, delivery apps, and enterprise software throughout the region. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026

The powerful winds are capable of causing catastrophic damage to structures while downing trees and power lines, and producing prolonged power outages. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1