brownout
noun
brown·out
ˈbrau̇-ˌnau̇t 
: a period of reduced voltage of electricity caused especially by high demand and resulting in reduced illumination
Examples of brownout in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But without an additional 10 gigawatts of dispatchable power, which might need to come partially from natural gas, the state could continue to suffer devastating brownouts.
—
Jon McGowan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Translation: The rush to eliminate fossil fuels from the electric power mix could potentially expose America to large-scale brownouts or blackouts.
—William F. Shughart Ii, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
The Department of Energy is helping states to modernize their electric grids, which could allow more Americans to keep their air conditioners running without triggering brownouts.
—Courtney Subramanian, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2023
The city of Frankfurt had ordered a brownout to protect it from Allied air raids.
—Wolf Gruner, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2023
Can installing solar panels cut energy costs and prevent brownouts or blackouts?
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 16 Aug. 2023
No brownouts as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas warned could happen this summer.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2023
But even in cities, higher temperatures are straining the power grid, raising the specter of brownouts and blackouts if residents don’t manage their electricity use well.
—Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
When the power goes out, the battery takes over, giving you enough time to save your work and shut down, switch to an external battery pack, or keep working through short outages and brownouts.
—David Nield, WIRED, 9 July 2023
Jon McGowan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Translation: The rush to eliminate fossil fuels from the electric power mix could potentially expose America to large-scale brownouts or blackouts.
—William F. Shughart Ii, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
The Department of Energy is helping states to modernize their electric grids, which could allow more Americans to keep their air conditioners running without triggering brownouts.
—Courtney Subramanian, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2023
The city of Frankfurt had ordered a brownout to protect it from Allied air raids.
—Wolf Gruner, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2023
Can installing solar panels cut energy costs and prevent brownouts or blackouts?
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 16 Aug. 2023
No brownouts as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas warned could happen this summer.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2023
But even in cities, higher temperatures are straining the power grid, raising the specter of brownouts and blackouts if residents don’t manage their electricity use well.
—Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
When the power goes out, the battery takes over, giving you enough time to save your work and shut down, switch to an external battery pack, or keep working through short outages and brownouts.
—David Nield, WIRED, 9 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brownout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near brownout
Cite this Entry
“Brownout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brownout. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brownout
noun
brown·out
ˈbrau̇-ˌnau̇t
: a reduction in the use or availability of electric power
also
: a period of dimmed lighting resulting from such reduction
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share