blackout

1 of 2

noun

black·out ˈblak-ˌau̇t

: 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

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

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

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

an alcoholic blackout

: a wiping out : obliteration

: a blotting out by censorship : suppression

a news blackout

: a usually temporary loss of a radio signal

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

: 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

: blot out, erase

blacked out the event from his mind

: to suppress by censorship

black out the news

: to envelop in darkness

black out the stage

: to make inoperative (as by a power failure)

: to impose a blackout on

blacked out the local game

intransitive verb

: to become enveloped in darkness

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

Example Sentences

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

Taper candles are always nice to have on hand to add romantic ambience (or illuminate a blackout) and can be found in a variety of local gift shops.

Lisa Boonestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2022 Stand-out flavors featured in Blondery's curated collection include a classic red velvet, a fan-favorite pecan and salted cameral, and a gluten-free blackout.

Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 24 Nov. 2022 The Energy Ministry said the attacks also caused a temporary blackout of most thermal and hydroelectric power plants, and also affected transmission facilities.

Arkansas Online, 24 Nov. 2022 The Energy Ministry said the attacks also caused a temporary blackout of most thermal and hydroelectric power plants, and also affected transmission facilities.

John Leicester And Sam Mednick, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Nov. 2022 Because of a half-hour communication blackout, flight controllers in Houston did not know if the critical engine firing went well until the capsule emerged from behind the moon.

Marcia Dunn, ajc, 22 Nov. 2022 For Cal Fire’s Captain Robert Foxworthy, at least, a Twitter blackout wouldn’t change much.

Mark Berman, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2022 Fiona left Puerto Rico with significant flooding and a widespread power blackout.

Laura N. Pérez Sánchez Erika P. Rodriguez, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2022 Between mid-November and late February, Svalbard will be so far in shadow that daytime there will be a total blackout, as dark as midnight, 24 hours a day.

Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2022

Verb

If this were a White Out game I’d be considered a black out by the 4th quarter.

Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 27 Oct. 2022 The percentage figure is not black out of white, which would be supremely easy to read, but transparent.

David Phelan, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022 If not, get a sharpie and black out the swoosh or any other company logo.

John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Sep. 2022 But there was never enough oxygen to breathe normally, causing some people to black out and others, mainly older, to suffer hallucinations.

Valerie Hopkins, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2022 They were supposed to be a game-changer that could be used to black out GPS, disrupt communications, and take over drones or deliberately crash them into the ground.

Yulia Latynina, WSJ, 1 May 2022 Fans in the comments section have already begun trying their hand at the word game and shared their results — making sure to black out the answer — many of whom got the inaugural Weezle right on the first try.

Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 3 Mar. 2022 There may be revisionist histories; and the darkness yet to come may black out the brightness visible now.

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2022 The use of quick black in, then black out stop-action moments to show Penny and Fuzzy becoming friends feels forced, however, even if intended to speed things along.

David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2022 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1824, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of blackout was in 1824

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Blackout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blackout. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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Kids Definition

blackout

noun

black·out ˈblak-ˌau̇t

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

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

: 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