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.
Anderson wrote a 2017 academic paper, titled “NCAA Football Off-Season Training: Unanswered Prayers,” that documents the stunning fatality rate in the college game.
From Washington Post • Aug. 21, 2018
The Seminoles fell short on the field in 2014, then easily claimed the honor of "Nation's Worst Off-Season."
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2015
Colts Face Off-Season of Uncertainty When the Colts’ season ended Saturday night, it began a long, uncertain off-season for a team that is used to stability.
From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2011
Day 1 of Off-Season Leaves 3 Managers Out of Work The decisions had become foregone conclusions, and the Mets announced them in a statement Monday.
From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2010
James’s Off-Season Begins It’s official now that the Cavaliers have lost.
From New York Times • May 14, 2010
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.
