black·out
ˈblak-ˌau̇t 
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
blacked out; blacking out; blacks out
1
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
1
: to become enveloped in darkness
2
: to undergo a temporary loss of vision, consciousness, or memory
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
The Dial, 22 May 2025
The boycott of Walmart, which runs from May 20 to May 26, is organized by The People's Union, the same grass-roots group that coordinated the one-day economic consumer blackout on Feb. 28.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
After the explosions, power was blacked out in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, witnesses said.
—Staff, USA Today, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for blackout
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Noun
She was drawn by the community’s nomadic lifestyle, the village-wide celebrations and the resilience in the face of frequent blackouts, harsh winters and lacking public services.
—The Dial, 22 May 2025
The boycott of Walmart, which runs from May 20 to May 26, is organized by The People's Union, the same grass-roots group that coordinated the one-day economic consumer blackout on Feb. 28.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Verb
The passenger blacked out, and woke up confused, with his hands numb.
—Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 24 May 2025
After the explosions, power was blacked out in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, witnesses said.
—Staff, USA Today, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for blackout
Cite this Entry
“Blackout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blackout. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blackout
noun
black·out
ˈblak-ˌau̇t
1
: a period when lights are kept off to guard against enemy airplane attack in a war
2
: a period when lights are off as a result of an electrical power failure
3
: a temporary dulling or loss of vision or consciousness
black out
verb
-ˈau̇t
Medical Definition
blackout
1 of 2 noun
black·out
ˈblak-ˌau̇t
black out
2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to cause to black out
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