BLACK OUT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does black out mean? 

• BLACK OUT (verb)
  The verb BLACK OUT has 4 senses:

1. obliterate or extinguish

2. darken completely

3. suppress by censorship as for political reasons

4. lose consciousness due to a sudden trauma, for example

  Familiarity information: BLACK OUT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BLACK OUT (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Obliterate or extinguish

Classified under:

Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering

Context example:

Some life-forms were obliterated by the radiation, others survived

Hypernyms (to "black out" is one way to...):

blow out; extinguish; quench; snuff out (put out, as of fires, flames, or lights)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Darken completely

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

black out; blacken out

Context example:

The dining room blackened out

Hypernyms (to "black out" is one way to...):

darken (become dark or darker)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

blackout (the failure of electric power for a general region)

blackout (darkness resulting from the extinction of lights (as in a city invisible to enemy aircraft))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Suppress by censorship as for political reasons

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

parts of the newspaper article were blacked out

Hypernyms (to "black out" is one way to...):

edit; redact (prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

blackout (a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Lose consciousness due to a sudden trauma, for example

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

black out; pass out; zonk out

Hypernyms (to "black out" is one way to...):

change state; turn (undergo a transformation or a change of position or action)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "black out"):

conk; faint; pass out; swoon (pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

blackout (a momentary loss of consciousness)

 Context examples 

Your field of vision may "white out" or "black out."

(Fainting, NIH)

Any one of these scouts used to think nothing of politely assisting an old lady in black out of a vehicle, killing any proctor whom she inquired for, representing his employer as the lawful successor and representative of that proctor, and bearing the old lady off (sometimes greatly affected) to his employer's office.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)