downtime

[ doun-tahym ]

/ ˈdaʊnˌtaɪm /

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noun

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

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

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Also called dead time.

Origin of downtime

First recorded in 1925–30; down¹ + time

Words nearby downtime

down the pike, down the road, down the tubes, downthrow, downtick, downtime, down to, down-to-earth, down to size, down to the ground, down to the wire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use downtime in a sentence

Developers are signing on to contribute to open-source communities and virtual hackathons during their downtime, using their skills to create a more sustainable world.
The rise of the activist developer|Walter Thompson|February 9, 2021|TechCrunch
The intent is to stop thinking of downtime as inherently bad, and to not require the constant distraction of your phone or computer.
There’s a right and wrong way to be bored|Sara Chodosh|January 22, 2021|Popular-Science
The company said its workers make an average of $22 an hour nationwide when not counting this downtime.
Albertsons is laying off employees and replacing them with gig workers, as app platforms rise|Eli Rosenberg|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
They need downtime, have relationships and have their own emotional needs too.
Touchless bathrooms, desk-booking tools, cleaning rotas: Agencies outline the future of the office|Jessica Davies|December 14, 2020|Digiday

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame co-inductee has used some of the quarantine downtime to focus on humanitarian work via his “Music Is Unity” Foundation.
Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey Hosts Virtual Holiday Gala|cmurray|December 3, 2020|Essence.com
Presidents have always needed downtime to recharge to face the next crisis.
Yes, Obama Was Right to Golf After Foley|Daniel G. Hill|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Is it becoming part of the SNL contract that you do voices for this show in your downtime?
'SNL' Star Kate McKinnon's Big, 'Awesome,' Emmy-Nominated Year|Kevin Fallon|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When we were having downtime and back at the hotel, I just slept a lot.
‘Game of Thrones’ Star Maisie Williams on Arya Stark’s S4 Journey and Her Crush on Andrew Garfield|Marlow Stern|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Did you two engage in any hobbies or games together in your downtime?
‘Game of Thrones’ Star Maisie Williams on Arya Stark’s S4 Journey and Her Crush on Andrew Garfield|Marlow Stern|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A new procedure for hysterectomies, done via robotic arm via a single incision, results in no scarring and little downtime.
A New Hysterectomy Procedure Eliminates Massive Scarring and Long Recovery Time. So Why Aren’t More Doctors On Board?|Heather Wilson|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only the card reader has had any downtime of consequence, and modifications seem to have resolved its problems.
On-Line Data-Acquisition Systems in Nuclear Physics, 1969|H. W. Fulbright et al.

British Dictionary definitions for downtime

downtime

/ (ˈdaʊnˌtaɪm) /

noun

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 timeCompare idle time

informal time spent not working; spare time

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

downtime

Origin of downtime

Words nearby downtime

Words related to downtime

How to use downtime in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for downtime