going dark

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiomfigurative

   Deliberately cutting off communication or public activity so that others can no longer see, reach or track you.

   Grammar: Works like an ordinary verb phrase with no object: the team went dark for a week.

   Patterns

   • someone is going dark
   • go dark on someone
   • go dark for a period

   The two founders started going dark whenever investors asked for updates.

   After the leak, the agency went dark and refused to answer any questions.

   Soldiers sometimes go dark during an operation to avoid being traced.

2. 2phraseidiomspecialist

   Closing a theater or venue for a time so that no performances take place.

   Grammar: Usually describes a place or a show, not a person: the theater is going dark.

   Patterns

   • a theater goes dark
   • go dark for the summer

   The old playhouse is going dark for the winter while the roof is repaired.

   Many cinemas went dark during the long shutdown.

Word forms

Common combinations

suddenly go dark

Her social accounts suddenly went dark, and her friends began to worry.

go dark on someone

He went dark on his co-workers the moment the project failed.

communications go dark

When communications went dark, nobody knew where the ship was.

go dark for the season

The summer theater will go dark for the season in October.

risk of going dark

Police warned of the risk of going dark if suspects used encrypted apps.

Synonyms and how they differ

disappear

Disappear is broader and can happen against your will, while going dark is almost always a deliberate choice to stop communicating.

go silent

Go silent only concerns speech or messages, whereas going dark can also mean hiding location or activity.

lie low

Lie low suggests staying out of sight to avoid trouble, but you may still talk to people, which going dark usually does not.

shut down

Shut down describes stopping a system or business, while going dark stresses that observers lose sight of it.

Opposites

Word family

dark adjective

without light; here, hidden or out of contact

darkness noun

the state of having no light

darken verb

to become or make less bright

Commonly confused: going dark or going dim?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “going dark”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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