Do people in America say: power went out, power outage or blackout?

I hear all 3, but the first two are more common.

People tend to forget two facts: 1. Synonyms exist. There is no single "right" answer as long as others undestand you unambiguously. 2. America is not precisely a small place. What is common in one place might be rarely heard somewhere else.

they all mean the same thing but we typically say power outage/ power went out more often

I said "The power went out" The last time it happened to my area when a squirrel chewed on the powerlines. To me blackout means a really big event.

In the UK, we call this a power cut

I use all terms interchangeably.

all of the above, but blackout isn't uncommon to hear. (US)

I say all of them in different contexts. That all mean the same thing but have different connotations to me. This isn't necessarily how they should be used, it's just the way I use them. "Power went out" is for when it happens at like my own house or something. Think residential kinds of things. "Power outage" is when it's at a business or public building like a school. I think of this when there's something I'm not able to do at a business because of the outage. "Blackout" is for when I'm talking about a wide area. I don't normally use this but sometimes I do. So the way I use them: The power went out at my house. McDonald's had a power outage. That town had a blackout last week.

all 3

This is one of those things that people will argue about as if it has one true answer (theirs)...but it doesnt. They all mean the same thing and the scale being discussed usually comes from surrounding context. "Outage" is a technical term that the electricity provider companies use. Thats why it has found usage in people.

I’m in New York. If it’s a quick localized thing I would say “I lost power” or “The power went out” If it’s one of those week long events after a hurricane or the grid collapses, that’s a black out.

Power's out, power outage. The only time blackout is really used is when there's so a large-scale power outage that the entire area goes dark. And then it's mostly used by the news to fearmonger because it sounds scarier than a power outage.

I think the most "common" term changes depending on where you are in America. Personally, I use 'power went out' more like a verb, and 'power outage' more like a noun. The lights turn off, "Oh darn, power went out." Later, when I'm telling a friend about it, "We had a power outage." That being said, they can be incredibly interchangeable. "Oh darn, power outage." And later, "Yeah, our power went out." 'Blackout' is the one I hear the least, because I think most people see that as a large-scale event that turns your whole neighborhood or city dark.

I'm in california. "Power went out," "the power's out," or "blackout" are just common sounding to be. But outage isn't weird to me either, but its how I'd expect the electricity company to refer to it.

I use “power outage”/ “power went out”. Those are also how I normally hear people around me describe them, too.

I would say: "The power went out" to describe my house not having power. "We have a power outage" means it's a big one, affecting a few streets  "Blackout" is for a whole city.

those are all relatively interchangeable to me. Blackout has a connotation of bigger scale, I suppose.

All three are used. I think power outage is the most common in Oregon though. Could be wrong

Those are all in common use. If the power goes out in my home, I'll say the power went out. It's a power outage. They're interchangeable, with outage being the more formal term. A blackout is a big, widespread power outage. Meaning all the lights went out in a pretty big area.

I saw power outage. You are correct that a blackout implies a large area

We use all 3 here

in southern california i hear "power went out" 90% of the time

I usually say *power outage*. If it's not night when it happens, it seems wrong to call it a *blackout*.

All three of those exist, but personally I'd say the 'lights went out'.

(in Canada) we either say there's a power outage or the power is out. The most common place I hear blackout is in theatre (when all the stage lights go out for a scene change or the end of the show it's called a blackout) 

I would say if I were standing in my own house, that the power went out. If my sister called and asked what I was doing, I would say "Oh, I'm just sitting around because the power went out." If I were talking about the whole street losing power, I might say "The power's out on my street". If I were talking about my whole neighborhood losing power, I'd probably say "oh there's a huge power outage in my neighborhood". The only time I ever hear blackout is when people talk about rolling blackouts (frequent power outages), which don't happen where I live.

I use "outage". You report an outage to your provider. There are outage maps to see areas without power.

All of the above. Especially here in Florida where we have hurricanes, you tend to hear all three. Sometimes I guess it could depend on the severity of the power outage for it to be considered a “Blackout”.

I say all three based on context.

All of the above

A Blackout is a regional scale power outage. Lights/power went out is just another way to describe a power outage.

I say, “power’s out!” Usually happens during high winds or when they say there will be “rolling blackouts.” Our power company will do this in peak power times to reduce fires and major blackouts to large regions. And if they are “planned Blackouts” we are given the time and date in our electric bills. Also on the news or social media there will be a list. I live in California, the Bay Area, not some small town or small island. This is what we have dealt with for a few years now. Since the wild fires have become “normal”.

Depending on context, usually: "power outage" from a news outlet, electricity provider, or older person; "power went out" when talking about where you are in a super casual conversation, usually said by younger people; or "blackout" if you're talking about an area. Some places focus on the local area and say "blackout" more often, some places focus on just their own home and say "power went out."

I've never heard "blackout" except in movies and news reports. I'm from Southern US and now live in the midwest. We use any of the others listed - "There are 120000 people without power because of the storm. My power is out. Are your lights out too?" and maybe, "There's a large power outage in western part of the state".

Blackout and outage are two different things anyway. So while some might use them interchangeably, their use is going to vary depending on the situation as well. A tree falls on a power line, that's an outage. The whole city goes black, that's clearly a blackout. Where people draw the line in the middle somewhere is going to vary.

You might also hear people say the lights are out. Same idea as saying the power is out.

Power outage at the school...Power is out at my house...

The first two are most common.

Note also that the term "[brownout](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownout_(electricity\))" is used to refer to a reduction in voltage, and the term "[rolling blackout](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_blackout)" is an intentional outage (usually for set periods rotating across different geographical regions) when demand exceeds production capacity.

I will say “the power is out” or “the power went out”, but if I’m Googling information about it, I will search for “power outage” in my location

I live in texas and generally when discussing a power outage we say "the power went out" rather than "there was a power outage" but when it needs to be discussed as a noun id say "power outage". i would expect the news or a formal source to probably use the term "power outage" when discussing it. "blackout" would be completely understood and not even seen as odd but i just generally don't find most people say it in my area. so overall as a native speaker for my area (texas) i think any phrase works fine.

In the UK it's a "Power Cut" if it covers a street or neighbourhood, and a "Blackout" if it covers the whole town or city.

All three are pretty similar, but a “blackout” for me is when a large swath of people are out of power, “power went out” is generally just the speaker and maybe their neighbors. “Power outage” can be either; there can be 650,000 people in an outage or 6.

I'd understand all of them if you said them but I've always just heard it as "power's out"

They’re similar, but not identical. A blackout is a planned shutdown. A power outage is what a tv news broadcaster would say. Rural folks like me would drawl, “pears out”.

I would say the first 2 naturally and the 3rd one.. not really.

I’m Canadian and I say: “The hydro is out” Hydro is slang for power in many parts of Canada because of the abundance of hydro electric power generation. The power is out, blackout, and power outage are all perfectly understandable to me and I wouldn’t be confused at all hearing them.

We call it, "What, again? Someone go turn on the generator!"

In the U.S., I say power outage.

I’m in Ohio and I say the power went out. I’m also a musical theater person and have ran lights on a few shows. I consider blackout to be a stage command, something that is done manually.

Blackout is for a large scale situation, usually for a longer time. Like a city loosing power for a couple days

Power outage would be the same as saying the power went out A blackout means many people are without power

Yes. All three are used.

In the South, I hear "the power is out" more often when people are speaking without prompting. I hear power outage generally only when they are reading from a website or something more formal. I almost never hear it referred to as a blackout. This is probably affected by region though.

When I hear it, it feels like there is an implied level of magnitude. "Power went out" would be just your home or building. "Power outage" means it is affecting the entire local grid, my power company uses "an outage" to refer to one. "Blackout" feels to me like an entire geographical region, like in the 90s when a good chunk of the north east US and east Canada lost power or what happens in Texas when they get a cm of snow and everything breaks.

I say ah F@&k I hit my shin on the coffee table

Power outage and blackout are equally as common as one another. My family also says brownout, which refers to a partial outage.

Yes. Any or all of them. You may even here them mixed up in the same conversation. It may vary on which is more common by region, but you'd likely be understood whichever you used. Source: Have lived in several different states over the course of my life.

Usually I hear "we lost power" but I won't think any of those are strange to say.

'Power went out' is usually when talking about a single place, regardless of whether or not other places have lost power. Eg, "Our power went out during the storm." You can also say "We lost power during the storm" or "We were without power during the storm." 'Power outage' is more often used when talking about multiple places experiencing a lack of power, usually very temporarily. Eg, "There was a power outage in our neighborhood," "There were power outages all across the county." Rarely is it used when talking about a single location without power. 'Blackout' is often used the same as power outage though it more accurately refers to a single large power outage that affects a whole city or region and usually takes a lot longer to restore, meaning the area will be completely black at night. You wouldn't really use blackout for a single location, except maybe if the location was an outdoor location at night making it hard to see, eg "The park had a blackout while we were walking the dog." Note that blackout is also used in specific other contexts where it doesn't refer to a power outage, eg "There is a blackout period on frequent flyer miles during the holiday" or "I suffered a blackout after I had too much to drink."

Similar concept, but slightly different appropriate uses: (1) "Power went out at my house." The concept is a whole clause, with a noun (power) and verb (went out). (2) "My house had a power outage." The concept is a noun with an adjective. A power (adjective) outage (noun). (3) "The city had a blackout." The concept is a noun (blackout) and applies to more than just a house or a block. The former may have no devices working within the homes, but streetlights half a mile away still light up the night sky. A blackout is when an entire huge section of a city loses power and the sky is dark. The first two are interchangeable. The third one implies a much larger loss of power. You don't normally say your house had a blackout.

and here we are using brownout here

Power outage is very common. I read and hear it much more often than I hear or read someone say "the common people" lol. When telling people about what happened, I'd say the power went out. When looking up info about why it happened, I would input "power outage [my area.]" Had some power issues end of last year and looking at my texts with my landlord, he used "power outage," "power interruption," "power will remain on," "power will go off," and said "lost power." Can't think of the last time there was a blackout in my area, it's a wider-spread event and if someone used the word to refer just to their place, I might get confused.

As another commenter states, I'd personally only use 'blackout' to refer to a larger-scale power outage. Otherwise, power outage and 'the power going out' are equally valid and colloquial.

So Americans don't use 'power cut' to describe a loss of electricity? 'We had a power cut yesterday and I've had to reset half the clocks in the house." That would be the common term used in England and I suspect the rest of the UK.

yes

All of these are common, depending on context. Outage is more technical, blackout is more colloquial, and power went out is more of a verb construction rather than a noun-form.

Blackout in Chicago is a joke of Watch Dogs.

I hear all three pretty much interchangeably

I know you asked americans, but I live in Canada and usually use the first 2. Last one I have heard before, it's just a lot less common

They say everything!

Power went out is only at the time it happens to you. Power outage is the status after the power went out for you. Blackout is the event that is occurring in the city, not to you.

All 3 are common

I’ve heard all 3, and regardless of what you use a native speaker should be able to understand without any confusion. That being said, the first two are definitely more common in my experience. I wonder if blackout is more specific to a certain part of America (such as “yall” vs “you guys”)

I generally hear that the "power went out" when the building is lost, "power outage" when referring to an instance of the power going out, and "blackouts" when referring to widespread or repeated power outages.

I'd just say "the power went out" but I've heard all these terms

I would say a “blackout” in reference to power is usually used when referring to a greater area like you mentioned. Like a city or town or neighborhood where everyone or almost everyone lost power to their buildings. Rolling blackouts are when a city knows they cannot use the entire power grid for some reason so they “roll” the blackouts throughout the city at different times; one part of town would not have power at a certain hour and then they would get it back and other would not have power, and so on. Power outage I feel like is used more to describe the situation of the power itself if that makes any sense. Like it is not super distinguished and it doesn’t necessarily have this exact meaning, but I would say I usually hear power outage in a sentence like “We are experiencing a power outage here.” Power went out is common and I feel like more interchangeable with power outage, but I slightly see it being used a bit more casually. I usually hear it in ways like “our power just went out” or “we lost power here, did yours go out too?” They are all similar and would get the same point across, at this level it is more just subtle differences that I have personally noticed, but maybe that is just where I live in the country (Kentucky bordering the South and Midwest) or what people usually say near me.

Praise Crumb, the elections are not functioning...

Power went out for my house, power outage hit my block, blackout hit my city.

Knowledge is power

Not American but I call it a power cut.

My power went out literally yesterday. I have a text of me asking my siblings who live near by "yalls power out too?" But when I googled if anybody reported it to the power company I googled "power outage in my area" If like the entire city had a power outage I might say "it's a total blackout"

yes, as far as i've ever heard it used, 'blackout' refers to an area. i would never say "i had a blackout at my house" (meaning just my house) unless i was trying to be silly. it's also maybe a little old-fashioned. 'power outage' is what you'll hear from official sources (local government, power company, etc.) these days. it can also apply to a building. i wouldn't use it for my house. but if i lived in an apartment building, i might.

I use the first two interchangeably.

Outage is very common in Canada. I don't know if I'd use the word outage if I knew it was only one house affected, but whether it's one side of the street or the whole city, outage is the normal word. Personally I don't usually use the word blackout unless I'm talking about the Northeast blackout of 2003.

Power is out or blackout.

I’d use all three interchangeably and referring just to me and not to other people.

All 3 are common. Probably some regional variation in prevalence, but any would be well-understood. Power went out is a verb, though, and the other two are nouns. "Ope, the power just went out. I'd better light the woodstove." "We had a power outage last week..." Blackout *can* be a technical term for a large-scale power outage that affects a wide geographic area for an extended period, but I've also heard it used colloquially for regular power outages. If you hear it on the news, they probably mean it in the technical sense.

I hear and say all 3. Usually I only say blackout when referring to a more widespread event, like if it happened to the whole block/neighborhood/city, but they're more or less interchangeable otherwise. (Atlantic coast, Northeast)

I've personally heard more the first one, the second one sometimes and the third one when it's a larger area

I hear all of then regularly

heard all of them, most commonly I hear "power cut" (heard some Americans say that too)

Depends on the context, I hear all three for everyones regardless but typically say ‘power went out’ when its isolated, or they dont know what happened, Power outage is when something outside their control happens and its relating to a lot of other people, like weather And blackout is when a large area of a population, like a town, a city, a state, or half of it, lose power, but is typically used less often or when it is used it used to specifically say where it happened, or in more professional settings

I honestly hear those a equally often. They all mean relatively the same thing and are used interchangeably. I've never had anyone argue with me that one of them was wrong nor have I ever had anyone not understand me when I used one of them. I use them all 🤷‍♀️ However it is more correct to say Blackout when it's a large area as opposed to just your house.

I would only say blackout for an extended period of time where there was no power over a wide area. Otherwise, I would say we had a power outage or the power went out. Both are fine.

There was a power outage, the power went out causing a blackout