off year

noun

1. a year without a major, especially presidential, election.
2. a year marked by reduced or inferior production or activity in a particular field, as farming, business, or sports:

   With its wet, cold summer, this was an off year for grapes.

Other Words From

• off-year adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of off year¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Even in an “off year,” Jay-Z, 54, still went where few others have gone.

From Los Angeles Times

“Upper Middle Class. And even in off year elections more than two thirds of them vote.”

From Salon

Thaksin’s ouster set off years of sometimes violent contention for power between his supporters and his opponents.

From Seattle Times

As a result, Russia appealed the arbitration decision in the Netherlands, kicking off years of litigation.

From Seattle Times

His popularity and unprecedented electoral support unnerved Thailand’s traditional ruling class, including monarchists and the military, and his ouster set off years of sometimes-violent confrontations between his supporters and opponents.

From Seattle Times