downtime
Americannoun
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downtimes
plural
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a time during a regular working period when an employee is not actively productive.
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an interval during which a machine is not productive, as during repair, malfunction, maintenance.
noun
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commerce time during which a machine or plant is not working because it is incapable of production, as when under repair: the term is sometimes used to include all nonproductive time Compare idle time
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informal time spent not working; spare time
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of downtime
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.
See Examples For:
However, charging takes much longer than filling a tank, creating costs associated with the truck’s downtime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
It’s also big enough for basketball games, and Brundo recently painted a full court on the asphalt so singer The Weeknd could play ball during downtime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Not all charging downtime is spent roaming the Walmart snack aisles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Finally, some downtime, with no distractions, to tackle “Infinite Jest.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
He spent what scarce downtime he had writing songs or talking with Lydia.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
“We’re going to see a traffic jam of patch releases and system downtimes as companies try to apply these patches.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
This assumed that global demand would remain high for the remainder of 2022, the statement cautioned, adding it did not expect major production downtimes due to the unavailability of gas in Europe or missing parts.
From Reuters ● Nov. 11, 2022
But toy sales tend to be resilient in downtimes because parents do not want to disappoint their children, said Linda Bolton Weiser, an analyst with D.A.
From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2022
Naturally enough, I’ve been assembling a pile of books to relax with during the downtimes when I won’t be working on a Major Writing Project that is — sigh — at least three years overdue.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 15, 2022
He’s shorthanded because only three of the 12 servers he laid off during the downtimes have returned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2021
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