blackout

noun black·out \ ˈblak-ˌau̇t \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of blackout

1 a : 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

3 a : 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

See blackout defined for English-language learners

See blackout defined for kids

Examples of blackout in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of blackout from the Web

Still, widespread blackouts returned to Karachi in April as a deadlock continues in a battle between the city’s electricity supplier and gas company.

— meher ahmad, New York Times, "Looking for a Bit of Shade as Intense Heat Wave Hits Karachi," 29 May 2018
The law is already causing panic in Europe: in addition to the blackout, tech giants have been hit with multi-billion-dollar complaints filed by European privacy advocates, and programmatic ad buying has plummeted.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "The Next Big Anti-Tech Backlash Is Just Beginning," 29 May 2018
As in the show, Harriet Tubman did actually report having blackouts, seizures and visions.

— rachel kaufman, Smithsonian, "Pilot, Thinker, Soldier, Spy: The Epic “Timeless” Season Finale Twofer," 13 May 2018
Over six months after Hurricane Maria, parts of Puerto Rico are still suffering from an ongoing blackout, now the second-largest power outage in the world on record, according to a study from the Rhodium Group.

— agnes m. torres rivera, Teen Vogue, "Hurricane Maria Made Me A Climate Change Refugee," 7 May 2018
The state’s bungled attempt at deregulation in the late 1990s led to market manipulation, soaring prices, blackouts, the bankruptcy of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the recall of Gov. Gray Davis.

— david r. baker, San Francisco Chronicle, "California’s power grid is changing fast, and ‘we don’t have a plan’," 3 May 2018
Hundreds of thousand of homes and businesses were plunged into darkness amid rolling blackouts, wholesale electricity prices skyrocketed to record levels and the state’s largest utility, PG&E Corp.’s Pacific Gas & Electric, went bankrupt.

— mark chediak, Bloomberg.com, "California Warns of a Second Energy Crisis," 3 May 2018
Puerto Rico lost power again Wednesday when a faulty transmission line caused a total blackout, the most recent outcome of the the island’s aged power infrastructure struggling to recover after Hurricane Maria.

— shelby fleig, USA TODAY, "Puerto Rico just lost power yet again in total blackout," 18 Apr. 2018
There were blackouts, shortages, and questions about domestic and foreign policy.

— michael weissenstein and andrea rodriguez, The Christian Science Monitor, "Cubans await transition of power away from ruling revolutionaries," 13 Apr. 2018

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.

First Known Use of blackout

1913

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

blackout Synonyms

Synonyms

faint, insensibility, knockout, swim, swoon, syncope;

Related Words

daze, stupor, trance;

drowsiness, narcosis, sleep, somnolence;

black out

verb

Definition of black out

transitive verb

1 a : 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

Examples of black out in a Sentence

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 of black out from the Web

According to Perry, Nugget blacked out for three minutes after her fall.

— korin miller, SELF, "Katy Perry Says Her Assistant Saved Her Dog With CPR," 7 June 2018
For the second most expensive pass, the Disney Deluxe Passport, the number of June days that are available and not blacked out at Disneyland drops from 20 days to 13 days.

— hugo martin, latimes.com, "Pass holders will see more blackout dates for Disneyland after Star Wars attraction opens," 4 June 2018
The senator was made to wait at the door, which had its glass panes blacked out, while an employee tried to track down a supervisor.

— the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Sen. Jeff Merkley denied entry to immigrant detention center," 4 June 2018
Someone blacked out the faces of two of the five people pictured and their names printed below the photo.

— mark davis, kansascity, "Some designer showhouse, Kansas City. Where's the kitchen? | The Kansas City Star," 9 May 2018
Police released some 2,100 pages of police reports, witness statements and dispatch records Wednesday with names and identifying characteristics blacked out.

— Fox News, "The Latest: Witnesses, officers describe Vegas shooting," 23 May 2018
Hansberry was a small child when her parents moved the family into the three-unit building in 1938, angering white neighbors who had signed a restrictive covenant to keep blacks out.

— meredith heagney, chicagotribune.com, "Literary landmarks: Hunting down old haunts of Chicago writers," 21 May 2018
In landscape mode, for most apps, OnePlus blacks out the area around the notch, pushing app content into the rectangular area of the screen.

— ron amadeo, Ars Technica, "OnePlus 6 Review—A series of downgrades is saved by the low price," 21 May 2018
In another experiment, the scientists induced illusory ownership of an invisible body, then blacked out the headset display, effectively blindfolding the subjects.

— steph yin, New York Times, "In Virtual Reality, How Much Body Do You Need?," 17 May 2018

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

First Known Use of black out

1824

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

black out Synonyms

BLACKOUT Defined for English Language Learners

blackout

noun

Definition of blackout for English Language Learners

: a period when lights are kept off or are hidden from view to guard against enemy airplane attack in a war
: a period when lights are off because of an electrical power failure
: a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness, vision, or memory

BLACKOUT Defined for Kids

blackout

noun black·out \ ˈblak-ˌau̇t \

Definition of blackout for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

blackout

noun black·out \ ˈblak-ˌau̇t \

medical Definition of blackout

: 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

: 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