Blackout Meaning
/ˈblæk.aʊt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA temporary loss of consciousness.
nounA temporary loss of memory.
Sentence Examples
Put out the candle. The blackout is over.
Every hospital has a back-up electric generator in case of blackout.
CEFR Practice Quiz
A severe storm caused a citywide ____ that lasted for three long hours.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The whole city suffered a ____ after the powerful lightning strike.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English black outdeverb. English blackout Deverbal from black out.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“I mean, what is she even talking about? Got her pregnant at the Halloween party? What does that mean? I don't even remember that party. I was wasted.” “Yeah, me too. I browned out that evening.” “"browned out"? What's "browned out"?” “Oh, it's when you drink so much that everything goes brown. It's not as severe as a blackout, 'cause I remember bits and pieces. I like to call it "browning out."”"
— 2010 October 28, Charlie Day & Rob McElhenney, “Who Got Dee Pregnant?” (2:13 from the start), in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, season 6, episode 7:
"The repairs at the Koeberg Power Station in the Western Cape were on schedule for completion in the third week of May. This follows huge blackouts related to the problems at the power supplier since November."
— 2006 May 13, Weekend Argus, page 5:
"There have been several examples of space weather affecting power grids in the last few decades, notably blackouts caused by GICs [geomagnetically induced currents] in Canada in 1989 and Sweden in 2003."
— 2023 November 15, Prof. Jim Wild, “This train was delayed because of bad weather in space”, in RAIL, number 996, page 30:
"According to a press release issued by the clinic staff, a blackout by the local press had kept the public uninformed about the clinic's harassment."
— 1983 December 17, “Defending The Right To Choose”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 22, page 2:
"The protests have alarmed authorities, and on Thursday night, they shut off internet and mobile access in the country, cutting the Iranian people off from the rest of the world. Rights groups have accused the government of exploiting the media blackout to carry out a brutal crackdown against protesters."
— 2026 January 13, Deepa Parent, William Christou, “Hundreds of gunshot eye injuries found in one Iranian hospital amid brutal crackdown on protests”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2026:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
A severe storm caused a citywide ____ that lasted for three long hours.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The whole city suffered a ____ after the powerful lightning strike.