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

Sunday, the Carolina Panthers gave up a franchise-most 59 points against the Chicago Bears — a result that surprised most of the NFL given the Panthers’ mighty investment on that side of the ball this offseason. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026

It’s been such an unsteady year, Andrew Friedman’s two big offseason acquisitions have been busts. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

This offseason, Indianapolis locked up wide receiver Alec Pierce on a lucrative four-year contract while adding a familiar Chiefs foe, wide receiver Keenan Allen, as a possession target. — Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026

That top-line starting pitcher everyone fantasized over all offseason? — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 16 Sep. 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