offseason

noun

off·​sea·​son ˈȯf-ˌsē-zᵊn 

variants or less commonly off-season

plural offseasons also off-seasons

: a time of suspended or reduced activity

It's cheaper to visit the area during the offseason.

off-season travel

especially : the time during which an athlete is not training or competing

During the offseason, he put on another eight pounds of muscle and when he got to spring training, his Red Sox uniform was too tight.

—Mel Antonen

After undergoing arthroscopic surgery in the off-season, Hardaway says he's ready to put last year's disappointment behind him.

—Marty Burns

an offseason football trade

off-season training

off-season adverb

or less commonly offseason

traveling off-season

Examples of offseason in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Vladar, a career backup with Boston and Calgary before signing with the Flyers in the offseason, was busy late when San Jose pulled goalie Alex Nedeljkovic with just under four minutes left. —CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025

Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue at the end of the season, a person briefed on the matter said, but has since begun offseason recovery and rehab work. —Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2025

The Steelers acquired Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason and became a top target for Aaron Rodgers. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025

The Cardinals appear to be in store for an offseason of sweeping change. —Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

Ahead of an offseason where seeing the Cowboys move on from him is almost a foregone conclusion, these final four weeks could be critical in determining how soft or hard his next landing spot will be. —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for offseason

• milesian
• partizan
• postseason
• preseason
• unreason
• reason
• season
• seizin
• treason

Kids Definition

off-season

noun

ˈȯf-ˌsēz-ᵊn

: a time when some activity is suspended or reduced