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Dictionary.com
Definitions

lights out

NOUN
bedtime
Synonyms
WEAK
sack time sleep time sleepy time slumbertime time to hit the hay time to hit the sack time to retire time to turn in
NOUN
curtains
Synonyms
STRONG
death exit extinction taps
WEAK
bitter end end of life end of the line
NOUN
demise
Synonyms
STRONGEST
collapse departure dissolution downfall extinction failure passing termination
STRONG
annihilation curtains decease dying end ending expiration fall quietus ruin silence sleep
WEAK
final thrill last out last roundup number's up
Antonyms
STRONGEST
accomplishment beginning rise start success
STRONG
birth commencement construction creation opening

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"It means we can potentially design drugs that target the parasite's ARK1 specifically, turning the lights out on malaria without harming the patient."

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026

The strategy shot the lights out when the housing and dotcom bubbles burst.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

It could be a long, slow descent with the lights out on an RAF jet, or a rapid, corkscrew down in a C-130 transport plane.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

Your firm’s IPO ETF has been relatively flat this year while the International IPO ETF is shooting the lights out, with a gain of nearly 40%.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

The power goes next, lights out in the damp basement.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers