downtime

noun

down·​time ˈdau̇n-ˌtīm 

1

: time during which production is stopped especially during setup for an operation or when making repairs

2

: inactive time (such as time between periods of work)

napping during our downtime

an injured athlete facing months of downtime

Synonyms of downtime

• winter
• break

Examples of downtime in a Sentence

After a busy day at work, I look forward to some downtime at home.

The kids napped during their downtime.

We need to minimize network downtime.

Recent Examples on the Web

During the downtime, crew members came up with the famous shot, filmed after Travolta returned, of his feet walking rhythmically as the camera then rises to his face. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

Other guitar virtuosos might crave at least a little downtime between concluding a Las Vegas concert residency with one band and launching a national tour with another band, not but Joe Satriani. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026

Dyestuff creation may sound very Ren faire, or like something the Weird Sisters from Macbeth would do in their downtime, but modern synthetic dye manufacture is hardcore chemistry with hardcore chemicals. —Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026

For someone as influential as Kim Kardashian, there’s hardly any downtime between breaking the internet and running several businesses. —Ciara Lucas, SELF, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for downtime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime
• noontime