blackout 1 of 2

noun

ˈblak-ˌau̇t How to pronounce blackout (audio)
Definition of blackoutnext
as in daze
a temporary state of unconsciousness even though you experienced only a brief blackout, you still ought to be checked by a doctor

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black out

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of had spent most of her adulthood trying to black out memories of a wretched childhood

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to darken
to grow dark with the delivery of the knockout punch, the screen blacks out, and in the next scene the boxer wakes up in the hospital

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to faint
to lose consciousness blacked out after hitting her head on the beam

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of blackout
Noun
Harrison plans to participate in the national 24-hour economic blackout that started Friday. — Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025 The push for one-day ‘economic blackout’ A call for people to refrain from buying anything for one day has gained steam in the past few weeks. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
Musk’s blind and ignorant closing of USAID has blacked out our billboard to the world of what America is about. — Llewellyn King, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025 Tom blacked out that night too, as usual, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved. — Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for blackout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackout
  1. eradicate
  2. darken
  3. faint
  4. trance
  5. erase
  6. syncope
  7. abolish
  8. destroy
Verb
  • Measles is a disease that has been considered largely eradicated in the United states for more than 20 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The president signed an executive order in January that would help eradicate DEI programs across the federal government, with Cabinet members carrying out the order in various ways.
    — Filip Timotija, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of eradicate
Verb
  • Pigments darken the lashes, while oils and waxes help thicken them and give your lashes a boost of volume.
    — Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Apparently, the concert’s pyrotechnics, located directly underneath the banners, literally darkened the legacy of the team in a way the stories of Michael Jordan’s gambling and Dennis Rodman’s smelliness never could.
    — Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of darken
Verb
  • The leash became a sling, which took the pain from his collarbone just out of fainting territory.
    — Claire Cameron, Outside Online, 3 Feb. 2025
  • Jobson, the college sophomore, fainted on deck, and Ward Weimar, the Dartmouth student, became too feeble to handle the wheel.
    — David Wolman, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025
Definition of faint
Noun
  • Three years after their auspicious debut, the young Chicago rock trio’s new album features this insatiable lead single — a quick, crunchy guitar track that’s been putting me in a trance for months.
    — Alex Suskind, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
  • From its beginnings in the early 1990s, K-pop was heavily influenced by rap and hip-hop, and aespa’s takes those origins and adds some dance and trance sounds to it.
    — Sara Murphy, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2025
Definition of trance
Verb
  • That’s the short list of what this state’s brilliant educational minds, who are clearly raising absolutely no teenage boys, expect to erase.
    — Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Time travel stories often feature grim themes of destruction and butterfly effect scenarios where even a single change can lead to disastrous outcomes (like Marty almost erasing himself from existence in Back to the Future).
    — Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of erase
Noun
  • Common triggers include dehydration from illness, vasovagal syncope—a reflex response to nausea or pain—abnormal heart rhythms, and heart valve conditions such as aortic stenosis.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Fainting, known medically as syncope, is a common enough problem caused by diminished blood flow to the brain.
    — Lisa Sanders, M.D., New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of syncope
Verb
  • Yet even as years’ worth of political backlash has drowned out calls to defund or abolish forces, perceptions of police shaped by tragedies like George Floyd and Uvalde aren’t so easily forgotten.
    — Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Mar. 2025
  • But the administration's efforts to abolish federal agencies authorized by Congress are likely to meet the same fate as their attempts to stiff USAID contractors.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of abolish
Verb
  • Tornadoes pose a severe risk to life and property, with their powerful winds capable of destroying homes, overturning vehicles, and uprooting trees.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Residents of states that have been impacted by this weekend's storms have posted photos online showing their homes destroyed by the tornadoes, with roofs fallen completely off, walls caved in and debris on lawns.
    — Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of destroy

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blackout
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Cite this Entry

“Blackout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackout. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on blackout

Nglish: Translation of blackout for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blackout

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