not engaged in the performance of one's usual work.
an off-duty police officer.
of, relating to, or during a period when a person is not at work.
First recorded in 1850–55
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nunez said the suspect was "apprehended by an off-duty police officer".
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Israeli military said he was shot by an off-duty soldier and accused him of throwing stones.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
"The ceasefire definitely soothes our nerves, hoping it stays this way. The crew is finally taking a breather," an off-duty captain of a ship, whose crew is stranded off Qatar, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
She is currently off-duty owing to the school holidays, but will be at the crossing as "back-up" on Thursday to support Reg through his last patrol.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
Officer Delinko’s sergeant said, “Captain, I ought to tell you that David volunteered for this surveillance duty at the construction site. And he went out early in the morning, on his own off-duty time.”
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
The remains of two Army soldiers who went missing while off duty from military exercises in Morocco were recovered in May, according to the Army.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Liam said that nowadays they were most often mixed up when they were off duty.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Platner pleaded ignorance—claiming that he had gotten inked with insignia while drunk and off duty in Croatia, and didn’t understand the horrific context until much later.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026
Palacios was off duty, so there is no body camera video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
When they were on duty, they had to call each other by their ranks and surnames; off duty, they could use their first names—or even sweet or funny nicknames.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
