downtime
Americannoun
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a time during a regular working period when an employee is not actively productive.
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an interval during which a machine is not productive, as during repair, malfunction, maintenance.
noun
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commerce time during which a machine or plant is not working because it is incapable of production, as when under repair: the term is sometimes used to include all nonproductive time Compare idle time
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informal time spent not working; spare time
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of downtime
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.
The history makers didn't hit the Boston town on Saturday night, but instead were up at the crack of dawn on Sunday for some downtime with their families and friends.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
Chronic fatigue has become increasingly common in modern life as people juggle heavier workloads and less downtime.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
That translates to almost 80 hours of downtime a year.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
The folks at the retirement party were glad that he would finally get some well-deserved downtime, but they were also wistful.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
During downtime, Stamey and de la O talked about their homes and families, girls and sports.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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.
