Definition of "blackout" []

• A cutoff of electrical power, especially as a result of a shortage, a mechanical failure, or overuse by consumers. (noun)
• The concealment or extinguishment of lights that might be visible to enemy aircraft during an air raid. (noun)
• The sudden extinguishment of all stage lights in a theater to indicate the passage of time or to mark the end of an act or scene. (noun)
• A short, comic vaudeville skit that ends with lights off. (noun)
• A temporary loss of memory or consciousness. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "This is what I call blackout behavior, and unfortunately ..."
• "But before that, I think the government came out with another restriction, which they call blackout period 36 hours, that no, you know, politician would be allowed on television."
• "Secondly, they have what they call a blackout period sometimes, when they change a fund manager, for example."