An outage is when something that normally provides a service or resource stops working, usually unexpectedly. When your neighborhood experiences a power outage, the electricity goes out and lights, computers, and refrigerators stop running until the power company fixes the problem. An internet outage means you can't get online, no matter how many times you restart your router.

Outages happen for many reasons: storms might knock down power lines, equipment might break, or systems might get overloaded when too many people try to use them at once. Sometimes a single failed component can cause an outage affecting thousands or even millions of people.

The word usually refers to utilities and services we rely on constantly: electricity, water, internet, or phone service. You wouldn't normally say your bicycle had an outage when it broke, but you might hear about a water outage affecting several city blocks.

People who manage these systems work hard to prevent outages and respond quickly when they happen. When a major outage occurs, teams of technicians rush to identify and fix the problem, sometimes working through the night to restore service.