black out

To suddenly become unconscious and stop knowing what is happening around you.

• I felt dizzy and blacked out.
• She blacked out in the heat.
• Did he black out after hitting his head?

Similar words: pass out, lose consciousness, faint

Opposites: come round

Common phrases: black out suddenly, black out briefly

A time when the electricity supply stops working in an area.

• A black out stopped the lifts.
• We used candles during the black out.
• The storm caused black outs across the region.

Similar words: power cut, power outage, blackout

Common phrases: a black out, citywide black out

To cover written words with dark marks so they cannot be read.

• Black out your name.
• They blacked out several lines in the report.
• Can you black the address out before posting the photo?

How to use it: black out something / black something out (Please black out your address before sharing the letter.)

Similar words: redact, cover up

Common phrases: black out something, black out names

For a place to become completely dark because its lights are off.

• The town blacked out at dusk.
• The whole district blacked out when the power failed.
• Coastal villages blacked out to hide from enemy planes.

Similar words: go dark

Opposites: light up

Common phrases: black out completely, black out overnight