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.
Fifa has mandated three weeks off for players during the off-season, meaning the aforementioned City players will not be on the plane for the club's pre-season trip to the Far East unless joining later on.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Instead of the customary 60% to 70% occupancy rate in off-season June, the hotel is less than 40% full, the manager said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The skins contain natural oils, and garments not kept in a temperature-controlled environment -- ideally off-season in cold vaults -- can dry out and disintegrate.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
Bananas, mangoes, pineapples and off-season berries and vegetables are all exposed to higher input costs, Lempert added, and consumers could pay between 5% and 20% more by the fall, depending on produce origin.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 21, 2026
Her intention was to spend November and December shuttling between the Italian islands, in some off-season rental, completely alone.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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
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
In others, they might plant cover crops to keep their soils from washing away in the off season or even encourage healthy populations of earthworms underground.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2024
Coach Jared Halpert said it was his mistake not to let Marsten hit before after seeing what he can do at the plate during the off season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
The popular amusements of Algeciras in the off season for bull-feasts did not readily lend themselves to observance.
From Familiar Spanish Travels by Howells, William Dean
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.
