outage

noun

out·​age ˈau̇-tij How to pronounce outage (audio)
1
: a quantity or bulk of something lost in transportation or storage
2
a
: a failure or interruption in use or functioning
b
: a period of interruption especially of electric current

Examples of outage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
National grid operator Ukrenergo reported power outages in 12 regions of Ukraine following the Russian attacks. — Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026 Officials also described emergency plans for power outages, severe weather and disruptions at polling places. — CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 If a more serious issue was sitting somewhere else in the system, the utility has now spent money, spent crew time and created an outage window, all without making the system meaningfully better. — Charlie Sanchez, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Although engineers began restoring services during the day, the outage lasted nearly eight hours before Google marked the incident as closed. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for outage

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outage was in 1851

Browse Nearby Words

outact
outage
out and about
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outage. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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