Showing results for "time-out"

• a variation of timeout.

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• time-out
  time-out

  noun

  sport an interruption in play during which players rest, discuss tactics, or make substitutions
• time out
  time out

  A 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

British  

noun

1. sport an interruption in play during which players rest, discuss tactics, or make substitutions

2. a break taken during working hours

3. 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

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verb

1. (intr) (of a computer) to stop operating because of a time-out

time out Idioms  

1. A 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

time-out time out

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 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

Samuel helps Romy off the floor and positions her in the corner of the room, like a child in time-out.

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2024

Coach Watts calls time-out and is now screaming at his starters about running an offense.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

One time out of a million the press might choose to lie or cover up the truth for what it considers higher reasons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

So I’ll spend a little time out there, too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Belgium took USA apart last time out, but it's hard to read much into that because I am not really sure if it was down to how bad the USA were on the day.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Some social media users said they had spent hours in the virtual queue only for their request to time out, but others said they had secured tickets successfully.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Benjamin Rush took time out of a busy day to write his wife.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Related Words

• breather
• letup
• lull