blackout
- 01 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.
Simple“The storm caused a massive blackout that left the whole city in the dark.”
In context“The aging infrastructure was unable to handle the peak demand, resulting in a rolling blackout that affected several industrial districts.”
Synonymspower cutoutage - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
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.
Simple“He had a total blackout and couldn't remember how he got home.”
In context“The patient reported experiencing a brief blackout during the flight, prompting the medical team to investigate potential neurological causes.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
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.
Simple“The government imposed a media blackout during the military operation.”
In context“Despite the official news blackout, reports of the protest began to leak out through encrypted messaging apps.”
Synonyms - 04 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.
Simple“We put up blackout curtains so the streetlights wouldn't keep us awake.”
In context“During the war, strict blackout regulations were enforced to ensure that no light was visible to enemy aircraft from the ground.”
Synonyms - 05 C1 Advanced
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.
Simple“Several major websites joined the blackout to protest the new internet laws.”
In context“The digital blackout served as a powerful demonstration of the community's collective influence over the platform's advertising revenue.”
Deverbal from black out.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.