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Showing results for shoulder season. Search instead for summer season.

shoulder season

American  

noun

  1. a travel season between peak and off-peak seasons, especially spring and fall, when fares tend to be relatively low.


Etymology

Origin of shoulder season

First recorded in 1960–65

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:

Typically, the shoulder season would be June and September, but she said this is now reaching into October.

From BBC Aug. 3, 2026

U.S. natural gas futures ended the session little changed as the market enters the spring shoulder season when heating demand falls off and cooling demand has yet to pick up.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 31, 2026

My ideal vacation is renting a villa in the Mediterranean during shoulder season when it’s cool and breezy, eating elaborate meals and driving to offbeat museums and hidden beaches.

From Salon Jul. 4, 2025

They agree that the shoulder season, for better or for worse, just isn’t the same as it was in years’ past.

From Seattle Times Oct. 2, 2023

During the so-called shoulder season, which he says is now, that percentage changes to 65% to 35%, while in the offseason months of January and February it flips to 60% locals and 40% tourists.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 30, 2023

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