a time of year other than the regular or busiest one for a specific activity.
Fares are lower in the off-season.
a time of year when business, manufacturing activity, etc., is less than normal or at an unusually low point.
First recorded in 1840–50
Anything with a season also has an off-season. Summer marks the off-season for skiing, and winter marks the off-season for most amusement parks (unless, of course, you live in Orlando, Florida). Off-season is often the time of the year when tourists don't visit, or when sports fans have to take a break from their favorite games. In seaside resorts, the off-season is the summer. During the off-season, visitors are sparse and sometimes businesses offer discounts to attract tourism. When you're talking about sports, the off-season is the period athletes spend training in preparation for their playing seasons.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Off season, these resorts were ghost towns, so rent was cheap.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 31, 2019
Off season, Homer could wander unbothered, study and create a picture in his mind.
From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2012
Off season, in the bush-league ball parks of Latin America, Campy and Newk continued to polish up their partnership.
From Time Magazine Archive
Wrightwood, CA�Mountain High�s second annual Buck Off season pass promotion is less than 2 months away.�
From Time Magazine Archive
Off season he keeps in practice by potting crows, estimates that he and a friend shot 1,000 of them last year.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
