offline

adjective

off·​line ˈȯf-ˈlīn 

variants or less commonly off-line

1

: not connected to or served by a system and especially a computer or telecommunications system

One of the servers is offline.

… we suggest you keep a backup of your digital assets in offline storage, too. This storage can provide some cushioning if your online investment disappears in an instant.

—The Denver (Colorado) Post

also : done or occurring independently of such a system

our online and offline lives

offline activities/events

Movies and shows can be downloaded via the app for offline viewing.

—Dan Auty

2

of a person : not available (as for communication) especially by way of the Internet

She was having computer trouble, she told him, and would be offline for a while.

—Mark Warren

off-line adverb

Examples of offline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, officials warned of low power generation and said some circuits that crews had reconnected were kicked offline again. —Arkansas Online, 4 Mar. 2026

All of the facilities remain offline, according to the Amazon Web Services health dashboard. —Annie Palmer, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026

Even more worrying than the closure of the strait would be if Saudi Arabia’s oil production facilities were knocked offline for an extended period, according to Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group. —Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026

Official news sites and key media platforms went offline, government digital services and local apps failed across major cities, and security communications systems reportedly stopped functioning, plunging Iran into a near-total digital blackout. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026

The chatbot was taken offline shortly thereafter. —Teresa Liu, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026

Meanwhile, the union continues to raise concerns about the fire district’s ability to respond to an increasing number of calls since an ambulance went offline in June. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026

Inside Today’s China Market International brands are looking to a traditional operating model centered around offline retail and single channel. —Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 24 Feb. 2026

Boot camps that take employees offline for a week aren’t the prevailing mechanism to drive AI adoption. —Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for offline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine

Kids Definition

offline

adjective

off·​line ˈȯ-ˈflīn 

1

: not connected to or controlled by a computer

an offline printer

2

: not available (as for communication) especially by way of the Internet

she was offline all day

off-line adverb