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
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
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
Mark Warren
off-line
adverb
Examples of offline in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
South Korea is increasing generation at its nuclear plants and speeding up maintenance at five offline reactors, with restarts planned in May.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Her office also created an online portal to collect evidence in Good and Pretti's shootings that has since gone offline as the office received over 1,000 submissions.
—Aki Nace, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Below, Ferreira digs into her new projects, trying to stay offline and surrounding yourself with real people.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Databases where users can search certain campaign finance filings from candidates remained offline Wednesday.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
For instance, if a key refinery goes offline, prices in that region can spike rather quickly.
—Karl Montevirgen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Apr. 2026
Download offline maps before arrival so you’re never stranded without navigation.
—Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2026
Last year, the company marked its 10th anniversary with an offline party and the TWOPAGES X DESIGN CONTEST event in Los Angeles, bringing designers and community members together to celebrate creativity and collaboration.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
The increases are a notable shift from this winter, when there was discussion of possibly taking some fire engines offline and potentially closing police stations.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
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.
ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Her office also created an online portal to collect evidence in Good and Pretti's shootings that has since gone offline as the office received over 1,000 submissions.
—Aki Nace, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Below, Ferreira digs into her new projects, trying to stay offline and surrounding yourself with real people.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Databases where users can search certain campaign finance filings from candidates remained offline Wednesday.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
For instance, if a key refinery goes offline, prices in that region can spike rather quickly.
—Karl Montevirgen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Apr. 2026
Download offline maps before arrival so you’re never stranded without navigation.
—Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2026
Last year, the company marked its 10th anniversary with an offline party and the TWOPAGES X DESIGN CONTEST event in Los Angeles, bringing designers and community members together to celebrate creativity and collaboration.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
The increases are a notable shift from this winter, when there was discussion of possibly taking some fire engines offline and potentially closing police stations.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offline. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
