off year

noun

1
: a year in which no major election is held
2
: a year of diminished activity or production
an off year for auto sales

Examples of off year in a Sentence

It has been an off year for auto sales.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His value took a hit with an off year, and the extension would be paying him for his age-30 through age-34 seasons. John Hollinger, New York Times, 7 July 2025 Not in a low-turnout special election, in the middle of summer, in an off year. Mark Temnycky, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 July 2025 Garvey had an off year, for him, in 1982, hitting .282 with 16 homers, good for a 101 OPS+. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025 With turnout extraordinarily high for a spring election in an off year, Judge Susan Crawford handily beat Judge Brad Schimel, who ran on his loyalty to President Trump and was aided by Mr. Musk, the president’s billionaire policy aide. Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for off year

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of off year was in 1870

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Cite this Entry

“Off year.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off%20year. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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