as in winter
a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness
a knee operation that could result in months of downtime for the ski racer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of downtime
So a lot of downtime the last couple days; the team is good enough to give us a couple days off to relax and recover.
—
Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Working parents may not be able to carve out the time needed for things like unstructured play or simply enjoying downtime with their kids.
—Alex Vance, Parents, 25 Feb. 2026
Regarding the auction, Salter — speaking from a moment of downtime between his sons’ Little League and travel baseball practices — noted that his uncles were happy with the price.
—Marin Independent Journal, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Predictive analytics reduces downtime while smart simulations accelerate product design.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downtime
Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Working parents may not be able to carve out the time needed for things like unstructured play or simply enjoying downtime with their kids.
—Alex Vance, Parents, 25 Feb. 2026
Regarding the auction, Salter — speaking from a moment of downtime between his sons’ Little League and travel baseball practices — noted that his uncles were happy with the price.
—Marin Independent Journal, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Predictive analytics reduces downtime while smart simulations accelerate product design.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downtime
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downtime
Noun
-
Locals clamor after day passes to the rooftop pool in the summer—a way to cosplay as a European jetsetter for the afternoon—and reservations for heated igloos in the winter.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Mar. 2026
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Earlier in the winter, there were as many as 43 states.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Including their home win over Chicago before the NBA All-Star break, the 38-19 Celtics have won four straight — all by double digits — and nine of their last 10.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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Chad Baker-Mazara was hot early for the Trojans, hitting four three-pointers and totaling 14 by the break, but no other USC player had more than four in the first 20 minutes.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downtime.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downtime. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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