blackout

1 of 2

noun

black·​out ˈblak-ˌau̇t 

1

a

: a turning off of the stage lighting to separate scenes in a play or end a play or skit

also : a skit that ends with a blackout

b

: a period of darkness enforced as a precaution against air raids

c

: a period of darkness (as in a city) caused by a failure of electrical power

2

: a transient dulling or loss of vision, consciousness, or memory

an alcoholic blackout

3

a

: a wiping out : obliteration

b

: a blotting out by censorship : suppression

a news blackout

4

: a usually temporary loss of a radio signal

5

: the prohibition or restriction of the telecasting of a sports event

6

: a time during which a special commercial offer (as of tickets) is not valid

—usually used attributively

blackout dates

black out

2 of 2

verb

blacked out; blacking out; blacks out

transitive verb

1

a

: blot out, erase

blacked out the event from his mind

b

: to suppress by censorship

black out the news

2

: to envelop in darkness

black out the stage

3

: to make inoperative (as by a power failure)

4

: to impose a blackout on

blacked out the local game

intransitive verb

1

: to become enveloped in darkness

2

: to undergo a temporary loss of vision, consciousness, or memory

Synonyms

Noun

• faint
• insensibility
• knockout
• swim
• swoon
• syncope

Verb

• abolish
• annihilate
• blot out
• cancel
• clean (up)
• efface
• eradicate
• erase
• expunge
• exterminate
• extirpate
• liquidate
• obliterate
• root (out)
• rub out
• snuff (out)
• stamp (out)
• sweep (away)
• wipe out

Examples of blackout in a Sentence

Noun

the blackouts of World War II

She keeps flashlights and candles handy in case of a blackout.

He told his doctor he had been experiencing blackouts.

Verb

had spent most of her adulthood trying to black out memories of a wretched childhood

with the delivery of the knockout punch, the screen blacks out, and in the next scene the boxer wakes up in the hospital

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As winter approaches, Russia is using its drones to bring blackouts to Ukraine in an attempt to freeze the country into submission. —David Hambling, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Robberies during the Blitz Cities instituted blackouts, extinguishing all lights so that the German air force would have trouble identifying targets. —Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

For the Russia release, the producers received requests to black out a scene where Strong, as Cohn, participates in a gay orgy. —Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024

In August 2020, the state experienced two consecutive days of rotating power outages, with some areas blacked out up to 2 1/2 hours. —Rob Nikolewski, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1824, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

blackout

noun

black·​out ˈblak-ˌau̇t 

1

: a period when lights are kept off to guard against enemy airplane attack in a war

2

: a period when lights are off as a result of an electrical power failure

3

: a temporary dulling or loss of vision or consciousness

black out

-ˈau̇t

verb

Medical Definition

blackout

1 of 2 noun

black·​out ˈblak-ˌau̇t 

: a transient dulling or loss of vision, consciousness, or memory

an alcoholic blackout

compare grayout, redout

black out

2 of 2 intransitive verb

(ˈ)blak-ˈau̇t 

: to undergo a temporary loss of vision, consciousness, or memory (as from temporary impairment of cerebral circulation, retinal anoxia, a traumatic emotional blow, or an alcoholic binge) compare gray out, red out

transitive verb

: to cause to black out