downtime

[doun-tahym]

noun

1. a time times during a regular working period when an employee is not actively productive.

2. an interval during which a machine is not productive, as during repair, malfunction, maintenance.

downtime

/ ˈdaʊnˌtaɪm /

noun

1. 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

2. informal,  time spent not working; spare time

Word History and Origins

Origin of downtime¹

First recorded in 1925–30; down ¹ + time

Example Sentences

In her brief downtime she did as little as possible.

From Los Angeles Times

Olsen: I feel like making a TV show, there’s a lot of downtime; there’s lot of just sort of hanging around.

From Los Angeles Times

In his downtime, he’s the kind of guy who likes to go to Nordstrom and do a lot of damage.

From Los Angeles Times

Everyone is having a slightly different experience but every player needs their own downtime in their own way.

From BBC

He’s a young Tokyo laundry plant worker who in his downtime traffics in resold goods at exorbitant markups, with little care for their authenticity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• free time www.thesaurus.com
• spare time