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:
Let’s not go any further without addressing the underlying question: How much downtime is permissible during the workday?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
With the “Love Island USA” reunion set to air Aug. 31 on Peacock, Madix is enjoying every minute of her downtime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
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
TD Cowen’s Craig Hutchison figures that the two-to-three weeks downtime on top of the nine days since a power outage on July 18 will hit production by 8,000 to 10,500 tons of copper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He sat low beneath a plywood gunnel a navy crew had jury- rigged during downtime in Noumea.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Greg Becker, SVB’s chief executive, was given to enthusiastic pronouncements on the prospects of start-ups and tech firms, even in recent downtimes.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 2, 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
Undersupply of semiconductors is leading to production downtimes in the car industry and many other industrial sectors.
From Reuters ● Aug. 5, 2021
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.
