French word

panne

Pronunciation

IPA/pan/

Meaning

  • feminine nounbreakdown

Example

La voiture est en panne.

The car has broken down.

Illustration for panne (breakdown)

More examples

La télévision est en panne depuis hier soir.

The television has been out of order since last night.

Core concept

A vehicle or installation is stuck because its working system has suddenly failed.

Common phrases

  • être en panne

    be out of order

  • panne d'essence

    run out of gas

  • panne de courant

    power outage

Similar words

défaillance: A failure of a component or function that prevents proper operation.
coupure: An interruption of power, communication, or another supply or connection.
blocage: A stoppage caused by a jammed or seized part or mechanism.

Definition in French

État dans lequel un appareil, un véhicule ou une installation cesse de fonctionner correctement; on l'emploie souvent avec la locution 'en panne'.

Word origin

The technical noun panne is inherited from Old French panne, 'cloth or patch', ultimately from Latin pannus, with the modern failure sense developing in French.

Usage tips

  • Être en panne describes the state, while tomber en panne describes the moment a vehicle or device breaks down.

Other meanings

  • malfunctionnoun
  • power outagenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word