off year

American  

noun

1. a year without a major, especially presidential, election.

2. a year marked by reduced or inferior production or activity in a particular field, as farming, business, or sports.

   With its wet, cold summer, this was an off year for grapes.

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Other Word Forms

• off-year adjective

Etymology

Origin of off year

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

This so-called "off year" election doesn't feature presidential or congressional races, but there are still several critical votes to watch tonight.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

“Upper Middle Class. And even in off year elections more than two thirds of them vote.”

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2024

Chargers receiver Keenan Allen and edge rusher Khalil Mack make the AFC Pro Bowl team after putting together career-best seasons in off year for team.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2024

That subtext has turned what would normally be a sleepy summer election on an off year into a highly visible dogfight that has taken on national importance and already drawn nearly 600,000 early voters.

From New York Times • Aug. 8, 2023

It was an off year that didn’t bring a new Gilbreth baby.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey