outage

noun

out·​age ˈau̇-tij How to pronounce outage (audio)
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

Examples of outage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Follow live updates The infants were evacuated from Al-Shifa days after the hospital began to suffer from power outages and dwindling supplies, including supplies of fuel, amid Israel's bombardment of northern Gaza and as its forces battled with Palestinian militants in the area. Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 20 Nov. 2023 Phone and internet services in parts of the Gaza Strip were partially restored Friday night after a limited quantity of fuel for generators was provided, according to NetBlocks, a group that tracks internet outages. Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 18 Nov. 2023 Two premature babies and 10 other patients have died at Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital since the power outage that started on Saturday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, citing Palestinian Health Authorities. Noemie Bisserbe, WSJ, 13 Nov. 2023 Weather is the number one cause of power outages, according to Climate Central. Jim Foerster, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 The 118-day strike was one of the longest labor outages in Hollywood history. Michael Cavna, Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2023 Another major hospital, al-Quds, is out of service because of power outages and fuel shortages, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said. Rachel pannett, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023 Live Coverage Feed 18 hours ago Doctors at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital are struggling to provide basic care to hundreds of patients amid a power outage and lack of medical supplies. Saleh Al-Batati and chao Deng, WSJ, 13 Nov. 2023 Some parts of the city saw 30 inches of snow total, resulting in road closures, power outages and school closings. Chris Morris, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outage was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near outage

Cite this Entry

“Outage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outage. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

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