as in winters
a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness
we need to take a time-out from our relationship to think things over
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of time-outs
Run opposing guards into the ground, step on the gas harder, and force your opponents into spending catch-your-breath time-outs.
—
Brian Robin, Oc Register, 28 Jan. 2026
What all those albums had in common was how those artists offered at least occasional time-outs from the trauma.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Oct. 2025
Brian Robin, Oc Register, 28 Jan. 2026
What all those albums had in common was how those artists offered at least occasional time-outs from the trauma.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for time-outs
Noun
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Wildlife officials released 25 wolves in the state over two winters after voters in 2020 mandated the reintroduction of the native species.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Federal fishery managers voted Sunday to open waters off the coast of California to commercial salmon fishing for the first time since 2022, with the population rebounding after wet winters ended a long drought.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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When the news breaks of faraway civilian casualties — an erroneous air strike on a school that relied on outdated intelligence, for example — the mind takes refuge in abstractions and statistics.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
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By the Sea also deducted pay for meal breaks even if the workers didn’t take a meal break.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Referring to the decline in permits approved, ECMC Director Julie Murphy said there were lulls as everyone adjusted course.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
18 Mar. 2026
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Acting in a movie involves a lot of waiting around, too—as the crew repositions cameras and adjusts the lighting, among other things—and those lulls provided me with plenty of time to feel queasy with anxiety.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Last year, the agency issued more than 500 payment pauses, which is a 240% increase over 2024, according to agency data.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Drummers’ timekeeping is fluid; even at its most rocksteady, it’s enlivened by tiny, imperceptible pauses and hiccups.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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On Wednesday, the mayor presented the latest version of his plan to close the $146 million deficit, with more than half covered by the savings from about 130 layoffs.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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The school board will discuss the layoffs at a workshop next Tuesday and vote on the measure the following week.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The average response time for phone calls dropped to 6 minutes from 30 minutes in the prior fiscal year; field office wait times decreased to 23 minutes; and removal of online service downtimes has benefited an additional 125,000 users in a single week, according to the agency's findings.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In real-life scenarios, the AI chatbot excels at rapidly resolving problems for customers, from changes to trips, to navigating travel interruptions.—
Lizeth Beltran,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, other types of interruptions, like lunch breaks, hurt productivity when workers return to a task.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Time-outs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/time-outs. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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