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

Local media has reported communications and power outages in the area. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

French authorities had placed swaths of the country's southwest on orange alert for storms, and numerous areas were hit with power outages and the disruption of transportation. — CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026

Classes began Tuesday despite hundreds of power outages remaining in the district two weeks after the storm hit. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

The power outages caused by storms that roared through the region nearly two weeks ago have one resident of this Rust Belt city literally gasping for air. — Selina Guevara, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1