offseason

noun

off·​sea·​son ˈȯf-ˌsē-zᵊn 

variants or less commonly off-season

plural offseasons also off-seasons

: a time of suspended or reduced activity

It's cheaper to visit the area during the offseason.

off-season travel

especially : the time during which an athlete is not training or competing

During the offseason, he put on another eight pounds of muscle and when he got to spring training, his Red Sox uniform was too tight.

—Mel Antonen

After undergoing arthroscopic surgery in the off-season, Hardaway says he's ready to put last year's disappointment behind him.

—Marty Burns

an offseason football trade

off-season training

off-season adverb

or less commonly offseason

traveling off-season

Examples of offseason in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An offseason reunion made sense for the Giants even after the trade, but a deal with Rogers never materialized. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

The Miami Heat was successful in landing its top target this offseason, trading for two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026

Peterka-Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak So far, Peterka is the big offseason acquisition and the 24-year-old should be given the best opportunity to flourish. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026

The Hornets made White their chief offseason priority, ensuring the North Carolina native didn’t get to the open unrestricted free agent market by signing him to a pact for three years that will pay him $74 million. — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for offseason

• milesian
• partizan
• postseason
• preseason
• unreason
• reason
• season
• seizin
• treason

Kids Definition

off-season

noun

ˈȯf-ˌsēz-ᵊn

: a time when some activity is suspended or reduced