outage

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noun out·age \ ˈau̇-tij \

Definition of outage

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

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Recent Examples of outage from the Web

Areas along the coast could receive more than 30 inches of rain over the next week, which would lead to widespread flooding and power outages, according to National Weather Service estimates.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "‘You will remember this storm for the rest of your life’," 25 Aug. 2017
Generators need regular overhauls, and even small outages require hundreds of workers.

— naureen s. malik and tim loh, chicagotribune.com, "America's other coal job, ignored by politicians, is dying fast," 10 Aug. 2017
There had been enough backup power in the area that no one noticed the outage, and the incident came and went quickly from the news.

— michael lewis, The Hive, "Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House," 2 Aug. 2017
A power outage in East County hit more than 1,000 utility customers around Jamul early Wednesday.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "East County power outage hits 1,100 around Jamul," 2 Aug. 2017
The sun probably poses a greater risk of a sustained outage than hackers or saboteurs.

— The Economist, "The disaster that could follow from a flash in the sky," 13 July 2017
The power outage could scarcely have come at a worse time for Angelenos, who have been suffering for days in a heat wave that reached new highs on Saturday.

— matt stevens, New York Times, "Amid Heat Wave, Fire Causes Power Failure for Part of Los Angeles," 9 July 2017
Penn Station is North America’s busiest train station, and it’s been plagued by problems in recent months, including two previous derailments, a power outage, and signal problems.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Service Suspended After NJ Transit Train Derails at Penn Station," 7 July 2017
Strong winds caused numerous power outages, and severe flooding occurred with 5-inch rainfall totals.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "ASK TOM: What was Chicago's July 1980 heat wave like?," 2 July 2017

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

First Known Use of outage

1851

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

feedback, fuse, incandescent, noise, resonance

OUTAGE Defined for English Language Learners

outage

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noun

Definition of outage for English Language Learners

: a period of time when there is no electricity in a building or area

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outage

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