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

• 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

That means less downtime, smaller batteries, and lower operating costs. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025

Alongside Azure, Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft 365, the Store’s downtime is compounding users' frustrations and fueling speculation about what’s really going on. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025

After five days straight of use, followed by one day of downtime, the white ink clogged. —Joe Salas october 29, New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025

The plant implemented a month of downtime during a week in October, Thanksgiving and all of December. —Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Oct. 2025

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