-blackout-

n. 1. a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. any darkness resulting from the extinction of lights. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. the failure of electric power for a general region sufficient to extinguish all normal lighting.
Syn. -- brownout, dimout. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

4. a momentary loss of consciousness. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

5. partial or total loss of memory. he has a total blackout for events of the evening
Syn. -- amnesia, memory loss. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

6. a period during which artificial lighting is forbidden, as in a city as a precaution against an air raid. [ PJC ]

7. (Theater) the darkening of all stage lights, as at then end of a performance or between acts. [ PJC ]

8. suppression of information distribution; as, there was a blackout on news from the military for the first day of the Gulf War. [ PJC ]

9. the prohibition of the broadcasting of a sports event, such as a boxing match or football game, sometimes confined to one particular area. It is usually done to encourage sales of tickets to the event. [ PJC ]