outage

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "outage" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to refer to a period of time when a power, telephone, or other system is not working. An example sentence is: "The company experienced a major Internet outage yesterday."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Engineers had been unable to start work to fix the supply outage on the electrified rail, which powers the trains, until passengers had been evacuated near Battersea Rise and the two trains stuck on the affected track removed.

The Guardian

Research In Motion, which makes the BlackBerry, was criticised for responding slowly to the highly irritating outage, another blow to the company as it grapples with its sliding share of the smartphone market.

The Economist

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 Economist

Beyond poisoning, simpler attacks work too: China's recent outage occurred because of a denial-of-service (DoS) attack against one of its top-level DNS hosts, overloading it with bogus traffic and preventing people from performing DNS lookups.One proposal that could solve the most significant problems is DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC).

The Economist

The wider issue is that the original voltage spike which triggered the monster outage should have been isolated at the Yuma substation in Arizona.

The Economist

Workmen laying down rat-proof netting caused another outage.

The Economist

This was "really bad timing", says David Abrams, the chief executive of Cheap Ass Gamer, a gaming-information provider in Tokyo.Sony's outage also interrupted third-party services delivered over its network, such as some of Netflix's online film rentals.

The Economist

The Securities and Exchange Commission SECC) has ordered a post-mortem from the New York Stock Exchange's Arca division, which electronically trades non-NYSE stocks and where the problems tied to the NASDAQ outage began.

The Economist

The power outage that swept across a large swathe of the American south-west on September 8th was the region's worst cascading blackout in 15 years.

The Economist

ON FEBRUARY 4th your correspondent experienced a power outage which left him stranded in a metro tunnel beneath São Paulo.

The Economist

Operation was restored 38 minutes later but some areas were left without electricity for two hours.The cause of the outage is unclear.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing an "outage", be specific about what system or service is affected (e.g., "power outage", "internet outage") to provide clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "outage" to describe general inconveniences or delays that don't involve a complete suspension of service. Stick to situations where a system or service is actually non-functional.

Linguistic Context

The noun "outage" functions as a designator of a temporary cessation or suspension of operation, most commonly related to essential services like power or internet. Ludwig AI confirms its correct and frequent usage in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

73%

Encyclopedias

7%

Formal & Business

2%

Less common in

Reference

0%

Wiki

0%

Science

18%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The term "outage" is a common and correct noun used to describe a temporary suspension of operation, particularly of essential services like power or internet. Ludwig AI confirms the term's validity and widespread use. It's most frequently found in news and media contexts, with examples from The Economist and The Independent demonstrating its neutral register and suitability for describing service disruptions. When using "outage", clarity is key; specify the affected system or service (e.g., "power outage", "internet outage"). Alternatives such as "service disruption", "power failure", and "downtime" can be used depending on the specific context. Avoid misusing "outage" for general inconveniences that don't involve a complete service suspension. In summary, "outage" is a reliable term for communicating disruptions when used accurately and with appropriate context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Downtime

A more general term referring to any period when a system is unavailable.

Service interruption

Focuses specifically on the cessation of a particular service.

Service disruption

Focuses on the interruption of a service rather than a general failure.

Network disruption

Relates specifically to interruptions in network services, such as internet or telecommunications.

Power failure

Specifically refers to a failure in the electrical power supply.

System failure

Emphasizes a complete breakdown of a system.

System malfunction

Indicates a problem within a system that prevents it from working correctly.

Interruption

A more general term for a temporary cessation or break in something.

Operational interruption

Emphasizes the halt of normal operations due to unforeseen circumstances.

Temporary suspension

Highlights the brief and non-permanent nature of the cessation.

FAQs

How can I use "outage" in a sentence?

You can use "outage" to describe a temporary suspension of operation, especially of electrical power supply. For example, "The power outage affected the entire neighborhood."

What's the difference between "outage" and "interruption"?

"Outage" typically refers to a complete suspension of service or power, while "interruption" can refer to any break or disturbance, even if it's not a complete cessation.

What are some alternatives to using the word "outage"?

Depending on the context, you could use "service disruption", "power failure", or "downtime" as alternatives to "outage".

Is it appropriate to use "outage" in formal writing?

Yes, "outage" is a neutral term suitable for both formal and informal contexts. Its appropriateness depends more on the surrounding vocabulary and tone.