off-season
noun
a time of year other than the regular or busiest one for a specific activity.
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off-season
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off season
off seasonadjectivedenoting or occurring during a period of little activity in a trade or business
off-season
American
[awf-see-zuhn, of-]
/ ˈɔfˈsi zən, ˈɒf- /
noun
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a time of year other than the regular or busiest one for a specific activity.
Fares are lower in the off-season.
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a time of year when business, manufacturing activity, etc., is less than normal or at an unusually low point.
adjective
adverb
off season
British
adjective
noun
adverb
Etymology
Origin of off-season
First recorded in 1840–50
Explanation
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.
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.
See Examples For:
Not when the messaging all off-season, like the billboards all around town, suggest that “the time is now.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Some guys become interested after seeing videos of NFL players gliding on reformers during the off-season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Zay Flowers, who became the NFL's fourth highest-paid wide receiver in the off-season, made five catches for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone at the Indianapolis Colts.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
After a tumultuous off-season where they moved on from Jaylen Waddle and others, the rebuild is under way for the Miami Dolphins and they face a daunting season.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Instead, we were supposed to meet the next day to begin planning my off-season training.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
The Colts worked on their strength in the off season after failing to stop the run in a state playoff loss to Delano Kennedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Cover crops like winter wheat are grown in the off season, to help bind the soil together and stop it being washed away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
"We have a big tourism product on the north coast and the students are sustaining that when we're off season," she added.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
Following an off season for the typically dominant Kansas City Chiefs, Allen’s path to the big game looked clearer than ever.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026
It's the off season, but I brought a couple of car-loads along with me to Chicago, to the stock-yards.
From Ben Blair The Story of a Plainsman by Will Lillibridge
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