off year

noun

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of off year

1 : a year in which no major election is held

2 : a year of diminished activity or production

an off year for auto sales

See off year defined for English-language learners

Examples of off year in a Sentence

It has been an off year for auto sales.

Recent Examples of off year from the Web

Empty Bowls is a bi-annual event at RHAM, with off years being spent creating the bowls.

— melanie savage, Courant Community, "RHAM Hosts Second Empty Bowls Project," 10 Apr. 2018
Pelaez argued that increasing the limit would allow council members to focus more on constituent work than fundraising, especially in off years.

— josh baugh, San Antonio Express-News, "Mayor appoints task force on campaign finance," 21 Mar. 2018
Ireland, who's able to slough off years from her character's age by simply turning her head, reveals all that has been lost over time in a portrait that connects history with psychology and fate with brute economic facts.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "'Ironbound' at the Geffen Playhouse: An immigrant's portrait, painted with piercing realism," 9 Feb. 2018
The 2017 form, Taylor said, reflects a drop in income and expenditures from 2016 of about $40,000, and the amounts are not unusual for off years for campaigns.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Portage mayor owes $10K to co-defendant in federal bribery case, report shows," 19 Jan. 2018
This is similar to the problem Obama had: His base of young and non-white voters also had a terrible history of showing up in off years.

— david wasserman, NBC News, "Key races for control of the House as Democrats take slight edge into 2018," 29 Dec. 2017
Perhaps the film's modesty has kept it off year-end lists.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / On Video Azazel Jacobs’s The Lovers is the most underrated American movie of 2017," 15 Dec. 2017
When companies used raises as rewards, employees could count on their salaries staying with them, even in off years.

— john simons, WSJ, "Sorry, You Are Probably Not Getting a Raise Next Year," 18 Sep. 2017
From his Richmond observatory in June 1769, for example, George recorded the Transit of Venus, careful to note that it would not be enjoyed again until the far-off years of 1874 and 2004.

— sara georgini, Smithsonian, "The Royal Archives Reveals the Hidden Genius Behind George III’s “Madness”," 30 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'off year.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of off year

1870

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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OFF YEAR Defined for English Language Learners

off year

noun

Definition of off year for English Language Learners

: a year in which activity or production is lower than usual
politics : a year in which no major elections are held

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off year

Definition of off year

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OFF YEAR Defined for English Language Learners

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