power outage
53
3.0
- noun
- /ˈpaʊər ˈaʊtɪdʒ/
- US
:
apagón
- The power outage caused by the storm left thousands without electricity.
- cause a power outage
- power outages occurred
- prevent a power outage
Examples
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It's most common when there's a power outage that lasts for a few days.
Blog text (2) -
- Due to the power outage, we cannot accept credit cards, ATM cards, or personal checks.
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- Do you have power outages here often?
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Looks like we're having a bit of a power outage.
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We had a power outage.
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Big power outage knocked out my alarm clock.
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Rescue efforts have been hampered by power outages all along the coast.
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Sir, we've got a power outage in C-wing.
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Just what we don't need right now is a power outage," Sam grumbled.
Fiction book (2000) -
Don't sweat it, bro, I'm sure it's just some freak power outage.
Synonyms
96
4.0
A time when a service like electricity or a website is not available
87
3.9
A time when the power goes off and places go dark
15
3.4
A sudden loss of electricity in an area
4
6.8
A sudden loss of electricity that makes a place dark
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'power' (electrical supply) combined with 'outage' (temporary stoppage) yields an interruption of electricity. This noun-noun combination follows a common and cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
The phrase power outage comes from a simple image: the power goes out, which is the idea behind outage, so the lights and machines stop working. That's why it means a time when 'electricity' is cut off.