blackout 1 of 2

noun

ˈblak-ˌau̇t How to pronounce blackout (audio)
Definition of blackoutnext
as in daze
a temporary state of unconsciousness even though you experienced only a brief blackout, you still ought to be checked by a doctor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

black out

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of had spent most of her adulthood trying to black out memories of a wretched childhood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to darken
to grow dark with the delivery of the knockout punch, the screen blacks out, and in the next scene the boxer wakes up in the hospital

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to faint
to lose consciousness blacked out after hitting her head on the beam

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blackout
Noun
If your social media feed has spent the last two years pushing mouth tape, magnesium, static-cling window films and blackout curtains, the next chapter of sleep optimization is being written by the weather. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026 AVs can cause safety issues, especially during inclement weather, blackouts and on roads where there's construction or unusual traffic. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
The details were blacked out as the district attorney continues an investigation into the devastating fire. — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Rodriquez’s home address and telephone number appeared blacked out, while his Social Security and driver’s license numbers remained visible. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for blackout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackout
  1. daze
  2. eradicate
  3. darken
  4. faint
  5. trance
  6. erase
  7. dusk
  8. syncope
Noun
  • Everyone in town seemed to walk through that day in a daze; Leslie’s name was spoken in hushed whispers.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
  • Kutsuna has an impish twinkle; Yamada mutely swans about in a daze like an opium fiend.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of daze
Verb
  • The team has eradicated every invasive casuarina pine, the Australian import whose needles poison the native plants beneath it, along with invasive sea grapes that chew up the dunes.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Screwworm had been considered eradicated from the US, Mexico and most of Central America decades ago.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of eradicate
Verb
  • China’s growth target is already its lowest since 1991, and the economic picture is darkened further by a real estate downturn that is straining local government finances and undercutting spending capacity, Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • When a treatment starts, the room darkens, and chromatherapy lights cast soft purple, blue, and red hues across the room as a soft mist showers down from the ceiling.
    — Jen Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of darken
Verb
  • That song’s music video is also darkly cinematic, showing Elizabeth playing with baby dolls in between sitting, bloodied, in bathtubs and on fainting couches.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Nurses are fainting on the wards, children are flopping onto their desks at school.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of faint
Noun
  • Paulina Prosnitz Back to the issue Welcome Wings Traveling to Greece last summer was a dreamlike trance of crystal-clear waters, skinny European cigarettes, and endless tzatziki.
    — Air Mail, Air Mail, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Though the faith and worship systems of the time are largely unknown, researchers believe this rock art may depict a group in a trance state.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of trance
Verb
  • That means the race winner could potentially gain 75 points in a single race on another driver, and that has the potential to erase gaps very quickly.
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Trump is moving to strip California’s emissions authority, end tax credits and erase electric vehicle sales mandates, reshaping the national market while leaving the state’s clean-car future tangled in Washington-level uncertainty.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of erase
Verb
  • With minimal humidity, near-perfect clear-sky frequency and vast empty horizons, Namibia offers the kind of slow, immersive darkness that makes dusking feel less like a trend and more like a return to something ancient.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
  • The park is open from daylight to dusk for visitors and 24/7 for campers.
    — Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 15 Jan. 2026
Definition of dusk
Noun
  • The company also flags baseline cardiac disease, abnormal ECG, arrhythmia, prior cervical vagotomy, abnormal cervical anatomy, brain tumor or aneurysm history, head trauma, syncope, seizures and nickel allergy as unevaluated risks.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
  • Vasovagal syncope is defined by the British National Health Service as a common type of fainting caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate.
    — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of syncope

Browse Nearby Words

blackness
blackout
black out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blackout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackout. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on blackout

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blackout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of hobnob

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All