go dark

phrase

1
: to become dark
The room suddenly went dark.
2
a
: to stop operating or functioning : to shut down
Most Salt Lake City restaurants go dark on Sundays …Kurt Repanshek
Andy Beal was one of 220 million subscribers to Skype … who saw the service go dark on Aug. 16.Stephen Baker
In the end, the heart stops, the cells die, the neurons go darkJoshua Ferris
b
communications : to stop broadcasting or transmitting : to go offline
… Lt. Col. Steve Russell of the Army's 4th Infantry Division ordered his men to "go dark" and roll their Humvees up to the edge of a lone farmhouse here.William Booth

Examples of go dark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Due to the ongoing conflict in the region, there are reports of GPS jamming, AIS spoofing and vessels going dark. Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 Earlier in the hour, some viewers reported seeing garbled images on the screen before going dark. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026 The Kauffman Stadium grandstand lights went dark and music preceded his arrival. Kansas City Star, 23 Aug. 2026 After Venice in 2024, A New Day went dark for several months until SXSW in the spring of 2025, Lyons said. David Bloom, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for go dark

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of go dark was in 1915

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Go dark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20dark. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster