go dark

phrase

1

: to become dark

The room suddenly went dark.

2

a

: to stop operating or functioning : to shut down

Most Salt Lake City restaurants go dark on Sundays …

—Kurt Repanshek

Andy Beal was one of 220 million subscribers to Skype … who saw the service go dark on Aug. 16.

—Stephen Baker

In the end, the heart stops, the cells die, the neurons go dark …

—Joshua Ferris

b

communications : to stop broadcasting or transmitting : to go offline

… Lt. Col. Steve Russell of the Army's 4th Infantry Division ordered his men to "go dark" and roll their Humvees up to the edge of a lone farmhouse here.

—William Booth

Examples of go dark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Starz did indeed go dark for Verizon Fios subscribers on Wednesday night, as both sides failed to come to a carriage agreement. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026

For the appearance, Pugh went dark with a Vivienne Westwood black cocktail dress featuring fabric ruching and a plunging neckline. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

When a lockout hits, a team’s operating cash flow goes dark, but an owner’s liquidity remains intact through standing institutional bids and private debt. — Chris Koras, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Bright isn't the only star who recently went dark, either; Hailey Bieber has been sporting a much darker brunette too. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for go dark

• ballpark
• benchmark
• birthmark
• daymark
• earmark
• embark
• hallmark
• landmark
• monarch
• postmark
• remark
• skylark