offline
Americanadjective
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Computers. operating independently of, or disconnected from, an associated computer.
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Radio. (of a network) not supplying affiliated stations with programming but allowing each station to program its own shows, usually within a specific format.
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Television. of or relating to the preliminary planning and editing of a videotaped program.
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located in or serving a place not on a regular route of a railroad, bus, or air carrier.
an offline ticket office.
adverb
adjective
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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
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disconnected from a computer; switched off
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extra to or not involving a continuous sequence of operations, such as a production line
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radio television (of processes, such as editing) not carried out on the actual transmission medium
adverb
Etymology
Origin of offline
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
That has taken more than a third of Russian’s refining capacity offline, and Russian diesel exports fell to around half the level at the same time last year, Gilks said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
China's animal lovers have now taken their fight offline and abroad, even putting up billboards in New York to drum up support.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Nike’s offline channels are facing substantial challenges from weaker traffic, Citi analysts Xiaopo Wei and Vincent Young said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The event was advertised almost exclusively offline, with flyers wheatpasted to construction scaffolding and guidebooks available at independent bookstores.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Did you speak to Courage right before they went offline? Did he know it was happening?”
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
