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
Throughout the park, cellphone service is generally spotty, so your entire experience can be offline.
—Mindy Sink, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025
How to stay safe online and offline The best defense is to delete your personal info from every sketchy site.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Marty Supreme is Paltrow’s first movie gig in years, and the rise of intimacy coordinators was confusing for her in the same way Teams is weird for chronically offline co-workers.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025
The metaverse was a squishy concept, pitched to a populace that had just emerged from Covid lockdowns and wanted little more than to be around other humans offline, in real life.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Female journalists around the world face mounting attacks, both on and offline and are subjected to specific and disproportionate threats, according to UNESCO.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
Play2Video upgrades wired systems to wireless while enabling streaming and offline viewing on your car's screen.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025
In other words, this experiential nature of feeling dreams allows dreaming to have a function, above and beyond a simple offline function of sleep.
—Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
However, its offline functionality is much less helpful.
—PC Magazine, 22 Nov. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Mindy Sink, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025
How to stay safe online and offline The best defense is to delete your personal info from every sketchy site.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Marty Supreme is Paltrow’s first movie gig in years, and the rise of intimacy coordinators was confusing for her in the same way Teams is weird for chronically offline co-workers.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025
The metaverse was a squishy concept, pitched to a populace that had just emerged from Covid lockdowns and wanted little more than to be around other humans offline, in real life.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Female journalists around the world face mounting attacks, both on and offline and are subjected to specific and disproportionate threats, according to UNESCO.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
Play2Video upgrades wired systems to wireless while enabling streaming and offline viewing on your car's screen.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025
In other words, this experiential nature of feeling dreams allows dreaming to have a function, above and beyond a simple offline function of sleep.
—Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
However, its offline functionality is much less helpful.
—PC Magazine, 22 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offline. Accessed 13 Dec. 2025.
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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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