time-out
noun
sport an interruption in play during which players rest, discuss tactics, or make substitutions
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time-out
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time out
time outA short break from work or play; also, a punishment for misbehavior in young children in which they are briefly separated from the group. For example, People rush around so much these days that I think everyone should take some time out now and then, or We don't throw food, Brian; you need some time out to think about it. This expression comes from a number of sports in which it signifies an interruption in play where the officials stop the clock, for purposes of rest, making a substitution, or consultation. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.
time-out
Britishnoun
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sport an interruption in play during which players rest, discuss tactics, or make substitutions
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a break taken during working hours
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computing a condition occurring when the amount of time a computer has been instructed to wait for another device to perform a task has expired, usually indicated by an error message
verb
time out
Idioms
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:
But a medical time-out and a massage appeared to solve the problem and the 39-year-old was still fighting hard four sets later against fourth seed Auger-Aliassime.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The public saw all that and could only wonder: Hasn’t C.K.’s time-out lasted long enough?
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
The 23-year-old Italian fell during the first game of his fourth-round tie with Grigor Dimitrov on Monday and took a medical time-out to receive treatment.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2025
“We’re on a time-out, and without really determined focus and deliberate diplomacy, this will be a very long intermission while both sides regroup and think about the next round.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2025
His reference to the baby signals that our time-out from the Games is over.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
During his time out of the octagon, he observed how the division changed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
It is believed she has been spending her time out of the public eye at an Alpine chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, since leaving Royal Lodge.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Riley, who was in his first head coaching job at Oklahoma, got the better of Patterson in each of their four meetings, piling up at least 498 total yards each time out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
"I have to take my time out there because they've waited and put their hard-earned money to come out and watch me perform," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Maybe, I’ll take time out and get a permanent wave, except that I hate beauty parlors.
From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
