WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
brown•out /ˈbraʊnˌaʊt/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Electricitya deliberate reduction of the electric power sent out by a region's electrical generating company, esp. a reduction in voltage to prevent a blackout:The brownout occurred on a hot afternoon.
brown•out
(broun′out′),USA pronunciation n.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- Electricitythe elimination of some or reduction of all electric lights of a city, esp. as a precaution against attack in time of war.
- Electricityany curtailment of electric power, as by a severe storm.
- brown + out, on the model of blackout 1940–45
brown /braʊn/USA pronunciation
n., adj., -er, -est, v.
adj.
v.
brown•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Physics the dark color of wood, with a slight yellowish or reddish hue:[uncountable]It was a beautiful brown, soft and yet strong.
adj.
- of the color brown:The brown gravy looked great on the potatoes.
- having skin of this color:invited all people, white, yellow, brown and black, to join him.
- sunburned or tanned:Her legs and back get brown in the summer.
v.
- to make or become brown: [no object]His skin browned through the summer.[~ + object]The sun browned his skin in the summer.
- Foodto fry, sauté, roast, etc., to a brown color: [no object]The chicken is browning nicely.[~ + object]Brown the pieces of chicken.
- Electricity brown out, [~ + object] to subject to a brownout: The power failure browned out half of the state.
brown•ness, n. [uncountable]
brown
(broun),USA pronunciation n., adj., -er, -est, v.
n.
adj.
v.t., v.i.
brown′ish, brown′y, adj.
brown′ness, n.
Brown (broun),USA pronunciation n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026n.
- Physicsa dark tertiary color with a yellowish or reddish hue.
- Physical Anthropologya person whose skin has a dusky or light-brown pigmentation.
adj.
- of the color brown.
- (of animals) having skin, fur, hair, or feathers of that color.
- sunburned or tanned.
- (of persons) having the skin naturally pigmented a brown color.
- do it up brown, [Informal.]to do thoroughly:When they entertain, they really do it up brown.
v.t., v.i.
- to make or become brown.
- to fry, sauté, or scorch slightly in cooking:to brown onions before adding them to the stew. The potatoes browned in the pan.
- browned off, [Slang.]angry;
fed up. - Electricity brown out, to subject to a brownout:The power failure browned out the southern half of the state.
- bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English brūn; cognate with Dutch bruin, German braun, Old Norse brūnn; akin to Lithuanian brúnas brown
brown′ness, n.
Brown (broun),USA pronunciation n.
- Biographical Edmund Gerald, Jr. (Jerry), born 1938, U.S. politician: governor of California 1975–83.
- Biographical James Nathaniel (Jimmy), born 1936, U.S. football player and actor.
- Biographical John ("Old Brown of Osawatomie''), 1800–59, U.S. abolitionist: leader of the attack at Harpers Ferry, where he was captured, tried for treason, and hanged.
- Biographical Olympia, 1835–1926, U.S. women's-rights activist and Universalist minister: first American woman ordained by a major church.
- Biographical Robert, 1773–1858, Scottish botanist.
dim-out
(dim′out′),USA pronunciation n.
- a reduction or concealment of night lighting in wartime to make the source less visible to an enemy from the air or sea.
- a reduction of night lighting caused by a failure in an electric generating system or a reduction in its output.
- dim + (black)out 1940–45
'brownout' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):