Meaning & use
browned out
Last updated
“browned out” is a form of “brown out”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitivetechnical
Past tense of brown out: when an area's electricity dimmed because the voltage dropped, without a total loss of power.
Grammar: No object: the neighborhood browned out. Contrast: the power company browned out the grid on purpose.
Patterns
- something browned out
The whole district browned out during the heat wave.
The lights flickered and browned out as everyone turned on their air conditioners.
Parts of the city browned out for several hours last night.
verbintransitiveinformal
Past tense of brown out, used informally for a person who lost some memory or awareness of events, usually after drinking too much.
Grammar: No object: he browned out at the party. It is milder than blacking out.
Patterns
- someone browned out
He browned out at the party and remembered only fragments the next day.
I think I browned out around midnight, because I do not recall the cab ride.
She browned out after a few drinks and could not recall the conversation.
Word forms
| third person singular | browns out |
|---|---|
| past tense | browned out |
| past participle | browned out |
| -ing form | browning out |
Common combinations
- the grid browned out
- The grid browned out when demand spiked.
- the town browned out
- The town browned out during the storm.
- lights browned out
- The lights browned out and then came back on.
- browned out during a heat wave
- Several suburbs browned out during the heat wave.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dimmed
- Dimmed describes only the visible effect on lights, while browned out explains it as a drop in voltage across a network.
- blacked out
- Blacked out means total loss of power or consciousness, so it is stronger than browned out.
- faded
- Faded suggests a gradual loss of light or color and does not point to an electrical cause.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: browned out or blacked out?
browned out vs blacked out
Blacked out means everything lost power or the person lost consciousness completely, whereas browned out is only a partial dip.
Practice
The town browned out for two hours. What happened?
Choose one answer.
To brown out is to have a partial drop in voltage so lights dim. A total loss of power is a blackout, which is the most tempting wrong option.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “browned out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.