off-duty
adjective
not engaged in the performance of one's usual work.
off-duty
American
[awf-doo-tee, -dyoo-, of-]
/ ˈɔfˈdu ti, -ˈdju-, ˈɒf- /
adjective
-
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.
off duty
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of off-duty
First recorded in 1850–55
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:
WSJ | Buy Side: See our guide to the best khakis for the office, the golf course or off-duty days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Today, folks on social media debate the merits of including off-duty pursuits, with opponents calling it cringe, irrelevant or amateurish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"So it is!" chimed in an off-duty fireman nearby.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
People have described how bystanders rushed to the water to help, including teenagers who worked at the nearby Seaview Beach Diner and an off-duty paramedic.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Samantha, my mother’s live-in assistant, went off-duty at six.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
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
The city of Pasadena said in a statement that the alleged incidents occurred while Ramstead was off duty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
Palacios was off duty, so there is no body camera video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
Hashimi charges into the breach with a head full of “improvements” she plans to make before Robby has even gone off duty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026
Late one afternoon, when he got off duty at the newsstand, Mario cleaned up the cricket cage, gave Chester a dusting off with a Kleenex, and took him to Chinatown to see Sai Fong.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
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.
