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What is the difference between blackout and outage?

blackout | outage |

As nouns the difference between blackout and outage

is that blackout is a temporary loss of consciousness while outage is a temporary suspension of operation, especially of electrical power supply.

blackout

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • a temporary loss of consciousness
  • a temporary loss of memory
  • a large-scale power failure, and resulting loss of electricity to consumers
  • * "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. Weekend Argus May 13/14 2006 p.5.
  • the mandatory blocking of all light emanating from buildings as imposed during World War II
  • Alternative forms

    * black-out

    Synonyms

    * (temporary loss of consciousness) pass out

    Derived terms

    * blackout lamp

    See also

    * brownout * whiteout

    outage

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A temporary suspension of operation, especially of electrical power supply.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Out of the gloom , passage=[Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage , as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.}}
  • The amount of something lost in storage or transportation.
  • See also

    * dropout * brownout * blackout