blackout

noun

black·out | \ ˈblak-ˌau̇t

Definition of blackout

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a turning off of the stage lighting to separate scenes in a play or end a play or skit also : a skit that ends with a blackout

b : a period of darkness enforced as a precaution against air raids

c : a period of darkness (as in a city) caused by a failure of electrical power

2 : a transient dulling or loss of vision, consciousness, or memory an alcoholic blackout

3a : a wiping out : obliteration

b : a blotting out by censorship : suppression a news blackout

4 : a usually temporary loss of a radio signal

5 : the prohibition or restriction of the telecasting of a sports event

6 : a time during which a special commercial offer (as of tickets) is not valid —usually used attributively blackout dates

black out

verb

blacked out; blacking out; blacks out

Definition of black out (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : blot out, erase blacked out the event from his mind

b : to suppress by censorship black out the news

2 : to envelop in darkness black out the stage

3 : to make inoperative (as by a power failure)

4 : to impose a blackout on blacked out the local game

intransitive verb

1 : to become enveloped in darkness

2 : to undergo a temporary loss of vision, consciousness, or memory

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Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About blackout

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Examples of blackout in a Sentence

Noun the blackouts of World War II She keeps flashlights and candles handy in case of a blackout. He told his doctor he had been experiencing blackouts. Verb had spent most of her adulthood trying to black out memories of a wretched childhood with the delivery of the knockout punch, the screen blacks out, and in the next scene the boxer wakes up in the hospital

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Meanwhile, in central southern Ukraine, Moscow appears to have instituted an Internet and cellular-service blackout in the occupied city of Kherson in an attempt to consolidate political control. — Washington Post, 1 May 2022 In a bid to quell the uprising, the Iranian government implemented an unprecedented week-long internet blackout which prevented civilians from coordinating protests and stopped information leaving the country. — Elad Natanson, Forbes, 13 Apr. 2022 The outage began as an island-wide blackout that closed schools and courts for days and caused other interruptions for the US territory's 3.2 million residents. — Melissa Alonso And Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 10 Apr. 2022 Another fire at a power plant in September 2016 sparked an island-wide blackout. — Danica Coto, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2022 Another fire at a power plant in September 2016 sparked an island-wide blackout. — CBS News, 7 Apr. 2022 Another fire at a power plant in September 2016 sparked an island-wide blackout. — DÁnica Coto, ajc, 7 Apr. 2022 Another fire at a power plant in September 2016 sparked an island-wide blackout. — Danica Coto, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2022 Another fire at a power plant in September 2016 sparked an island-wide blackout. — Dánica Coto, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb They were supposed to be a game-changer that could be used to black out GPS, disrupt communications, and take over drones or deliberately crash them into the ground. — Yulia Latynina, WSJ, 1 May 2022 Fans in the comments section have already begun trying their hand at the word game and shared their results — making sure to black out the answer — many of whom got the inaugural Weezle right on the first try. — Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 3 Mar. 2022 There may be revisionist histories; and the darkness yet to come may black out the brightness visible now. — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2022 The use of quick black in, then black out stop-action moments to show Penny and Fuzzy becoming friends feels forced, however, even if intended to speed things along. — David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2022 The technology frees parents from having to fuss at their kids about their TV viewing, going so far as to black out the screen when someone is too close. — Chris Morris, Fortune, 7 Jan. 2022 On October 30, less than a week after the coup, the first of many Millions Marches were held, with reports of between two to four million people taking to the streets (accurate numbers are difficult to come by since the internet black out). — Yassmin Abdel-magied, Vogue, 23 Nov. 2021 As for images and videos, make sure to black out parts that could be identifiable to you, such as street names and/or house numbers. — Essence, 8 Oct. 2021 Meanwhile, Dish said Sinclair threatened to black out 144 channels in 86 markets. — Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blackout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near blackout

black-or-white

blackout

black out

Statistics for blackout

Last Updated

15 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Blackout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blackout. Accessed 21 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for blackout

blackout

noun

black·out | \ ˈblak-ˌau̇t

Kids Definition of blackout

1 : a period of darkness enforced as a protection against enemy attack by airplanes during a war

2 : a period of darkness caused by power failure

3 : a temporary loss of vision or consciousness

blackout

noun

black·out | \ ˈblak-ˌau̇t

Medical Definition of blackout

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a transient dulling or loss of vision, consciousness, or memory an alcoholic blackout — compare grayout, redout

black out

intransitive verb

\ (ˈ)blak-ˈau̇t

Medical Definition of black out (Entry 2 of 2)

: to undergo a temporary loss of vision, consciousness, or memory (as from temporary impairment of cerebral circulation, retinal anoxia, a traumatic emotional blow, or an alcoholic binge) — compare gray out, red out

transitive verb

: to cause to black out