offline

American  

[awf-lahyn, of-] / ˈɔfˈlaɪn, ˈɒf- /

Or off-line,

adjective

1. Computers. operating independently of, or disconnected from, an associated computer.

2. Radio. (of a network) not supplying affiliated stations with programming but allowing each station to program its own shows, usually within a specific format.

3. Television. of or relating to the preliminary planning and editing of a videotaped program.

4. located in or serving a place not on a regular route of a railroad, bus, or air carrier.

   an offline ticket office.

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adverb

1. in or to a more private place.

   We should take this discussion offline.

offline British  

/ ˈɒfˌlaɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or concerned with a part of a computer system not connected to the central processing unit but controlled by a computer storage device See online

2. disconnected from a computer; switched off

3. extra to or not involving a continuous sequence of operations, such as a production line

4. radio television (of processes, such as editing) not carried out on the actual transmission medium

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adverb

1. while not connected to a computer or the internet

Etymology

Origin of offline

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Oil refineries were hit the hardest, with about 2.4 million barrels per day of capacity taken offline across 20 Gulf coast plants, according to the JPMorgan team.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

More than 10 million barrels of oil a day is offline today, representing at least 10% of global supply.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Each game will be playable offline, including “Storybots,” “Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches” and “Bad Dinosaurs.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

It had become the most powerful cyberweapon ever assembled, large enough to knock a state or even a small country offline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

“Do you think we will go offline because of a dust devil?”

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga