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
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Brief communications outages in Philadelphia in late April and early May hampered operations in Newark. Joe Hernandez, NPR, 13 May 2025 Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 12 May 2025 Losing personnel might also mean less maintenance on equipment like radars, leading to more outages. Umair Irfan, Vox, 12 May 2025 Delays and cancellations upended operations at Newark Liberty International Airport this week, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said some air traffic controllers are taking time off following recent outages. The Hill, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for outage

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outage was in 1851

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Cite this Entry

“Outage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outage. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

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