der Blackout
blackout
A sudden and widespread failure of the power supply.
EXAMPLE
Wegen des Sturms gab es in der ganzen Stadt einen Blackout.
Because of the storm, there was a blackout across the whole city.
der Blackout
blackout
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Meanings
der Blackout
blackout
A brief, temporary loss of memory or consciousness.
EXAMPLE
Während der Prüfung hatte ich plötzlich einen kompletten Blackout und wusste nichts mehr.
During the exam, I suddenly had a complete blackout and couldn't remember anything.
Usage tips
Usage in a sentence
'Blackout' is a word from English. In German, it is usually combined with the verb 'haben' (to have) or the phrase 'es gibt' (there is / there are) to describe the occurrence of the event.
EXAMPLE
Ich hatte bei der Präsentation einen totalen Blackout.
I had a total blackout during the presentation.
Context clue
You can recognize the meaning from the context. If it is about electricity, technology, or a city, it means a power outage. If it is about a person in a stressful situation such as an exam, it means a loss of memory.
EXAMPLE
Die ganze Stadt war vom Blackout betroffen.
The whole city was affected by the blackout.
Typical adjectives
To describe the severity of a blackout, the adjectives 'komplett' (complete), 'total' (total), or 'kurz' (brief) are often used. For a power outage, 'großflächig' (widespread) also fits.
EXAMPLE
Er hatte nur einen kurzen Blackout und konnte dann weitersprechen.
He had only a brief blackout and was then able to continue speaking.
Compare with
Blackout vs Ohnmacht
fainting / powerlessness
Ohnmacht and Blackout can both refer to a brief loss of consciousness. Ohnmacht clearly denotes temporarily losing consciousness, while Blackout is more colloquial and can also mean a brief lapse of memory. When loss of consciousness is certain, Ohnmacht is the more precise choice; Blackout is suitable in casual everyday speech.
Blackout
Nach dem langen Stehen hatte sie plötzlich einen Blackout und wusste kurz nicht, was passiert war.
After standing for a long time, she suddenly had a blackout and briefly didn't know what had happened.
Ohnmacht
Nach dem langen Stehen bekam sie Kreislaufprobleme und fiel kurz in Ohnmacht.
After standing for a long time, she developed circulation problems and briefly fainted.
In real life
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