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

The week in a small town in southwest Michigan included tons of downtime and one full day of meetings in the living room.

From The Wall Street Journal

The weekend-to-work transition became less painful, too: Mondays were like an airlock between my weekend downtime and my workweek of meetings and calls.

From The Wall Street Journal

Half term was downtime away from the rhythm of the school day in Windsor and the family was spending it, as they often do, privately in Norfolk.

From BBC

He enjoyed exploring Langkawi in his downtime and playing with his friends on the beach.

From BBC

He was a high-flying corporate lawyer, who viewed downtime as "wasted time", restlessly pushing himself to success.

From BBC

Related Words

• free time
• spare time