downtime
Americannoun
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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:
What I really mean is that, in my downtime, I’ve been steeping myself in things I already know will bring me comfort.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The trick is creating that sense of abundance without requiring too much of yourself during your limited weekend downtime.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
There's not a lot of downtime, and once you have completed one assignment, you are preparing for the next one.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The Miami home even has a soccer pitch to play on during downtime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
During downtime, Stamey and de la O talked about their homes and families, girls and sports.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
It intends to use the Siemens Industrial Copilot to reduce production downtimes at its plants.
From Reuters ● Oct. 31, 2023
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
The countries have different vacation periods, which Mr. Williams said leads to different downtimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2016
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.
