ENGLISH
REFERENCE

blackout

n.
US //ˈbɫæˌkaʊt// UK //blˈækaʊt// black·out
  1. 1 power failure (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a period of time when there is no electricity in a building or area.

    a large-scale failure of electrical power supply to a specific geographic area.

    Example

    The storm caused a massive blackout that left the whole city in the dark.

    Example

    The aging infrastructure was unable to handle the peak demand, resulting in a rolling blackout that affected several industrial districts.
  2. 2 loss of consciousness (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    a short period when you are unconscious or cannot remember what happened.

    a temporary loss of consciousness or memory, often induced by medical conditions or substance use.

    Example

    He had a total blackout and couldn't remember how he got home.

    Example

    The patient reported experiencing a brief blackout during the flight, prompting the medical team to investigate potential neurological causes.
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  1. 3 censorship (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    when the government or an organization stops news or information from being shared.

    the official suppression or withholding of information, particularly by a government during a crisis.

    Example

    The government imposed a media blackout during the military operation.

    Example

    Despite the official news blackout, reports of the protest began to leak out through encrypted messaging apps.
  2. 4 blocking light (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    making a room or area completely dark by covering windows.

    the act of extinguishing or hiding all lights, historically as a defense against air raids.

    Example

    We put up blackout curtains so the streetlights wouldn't keep us awake.

    Example

    During the war, strict blackout regulations were enforced to ensure that no light was visible to enemy aircraft from the ground.
  3. 5 internet protest (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Computing

    when a website is intentionally taken offline to protest against something.

    an intentional, temporary outage of a website or digital service, typically executed as a form of political or social protest.

    Example

    Several major websites joined the blackout to protest the new internet laws.

    Example

    The digital blackout served as a powerful demonstration of the community's collective influence over the platform's advertising revenue.
Origin

Deverbal from black out.

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