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

Yet, those teams don't make Tyler Dragon's list of the four teams that had the most puzzling offseasons. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 July 2026

So much talk about his ankle this offseason, but an aggravation there obviously isn’t the only issue that could cost him time over a long season. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 July 2026

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

After the Twins dealt 10 players last season and did little to enhance their roster in the offseason, the thinking has been that Ryan would surely be traded this season. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 6 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