shoulder season
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of shoulder season
First recorded in 1960–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
U.S. natural gas futures ended the session little changed as the market enters the spring shoulder season when heating demand falls off and cooling demand has yet to pick up.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
My ideal vacation is renting a villa in the Mediterranean during shoulder season when it’s cool and breezy, eating elaborate meals and driving to offbeat museums and hidden beaches.
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2025
They agree that the shoulder season, for better or for worse, just isn’t the same as it was in years’ past.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 2, 2023
During the so-called shoulder season, which he says is now, that percentage changes to 65% to 35%, while in the offseason months of January and February it flips to 60% locals and 40% tourists.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2023
Changes in flexible working conditions, as well as pent-up demand from the pandemic, could also be contributing to the rise of shoulder season travel.
From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2023
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
