downtime

American  

[doun-tahym] / ˈdaʊnˌtaɪm /

noun

1. a time times during a regular working period when an employee is not actively productive.

2. an interval during which a machine is not productive, as during repair, malfunction, maintenance.

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downtime British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌtaɪm /

noun

1. 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

2. informal time spent not working; spare time

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Etymology

Origin of downtime

First recorded in 1925–30; down ¹ + time

Example Sentences

But those payoffs only partially cover the financial hit, and don’t cover factory downtime while suppliers seek new business and retool plants.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

"If it's raining outside and we're all tired and we need to rest, for that downtime we'll watch some TV," he adds.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Carmaker Mercedes Benz uses digital twins of its factories and assembly lines to reduce downtime, and also to test its driving software in simulations before real-world deployment.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

It’s a big jump, but February 2025 sales data were impacted by plant downtime to upgrade equipment for an updated Model Y.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

But it’s summer, so we got mad downtime.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Related Words

• free time
• spare time