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• off-season
  off-season

  noun

  a time of year other than the regular or busiest one for a specific activity.
• off season
  off season

  adjective

  denoting or occurring during a period of little activity in a trade or business

off-season

American  

[awf-see-zuhn, of-] / ˈɔfˈsi zən, ˈɒf- /

noun

1. a time of year other than the regular or busiest one for a specific activity.

   Fares are lower in the off-season.

2. a time of year when business, manufacturing activity, etc., is less than normal or at an unusually low point.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or during the off-season.

   off-season hotel rates.

adverb

1. in or during the off-season.

   Traveling off-season is the easiest way to save vacation money.

off season British  

adjective

1. denoting or occurring during a period of little activity in a trade or business

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noun

1. such a period

adverb

1. in an off-season period

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

See Examples For:

off-season off season

You should also try it out for yourself, even if only for a couple of weeks during the on- and off-season of that area.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

He spends off-season weekends playing in a 7-on-7 team that travels to tournaments across the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

Kelp can be grown in the off-season by fishermen who already have boats and gear, with relatively low upfront costs.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 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

Whatever inclination there might have been to replace him after Poughkeepsie and Long Beach had evaporated in the off-season, or at least been suspended.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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

It also bans full-contact practices for youth football teams during the off season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2025

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

In a career of my size," says baritone Sherrill Milnes, "there is no off season.

From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Max Millard