timeout
or time-out
a brief suspension of activity; intermission or break.
Sports. a short interruption in a regular period of play during which a referee or other official stops the clock so that the players may rest, deliberate, make substitutions, etc.
a short time alone used as a punishment or consequence for a child who is misbehaving.
Computers.
the termination of a process or event that is taking longer than expected to proceed, and that is more likely to be successful if relaunched, resubmitted, etc.
the severing of an online connection after a period of inactivity, as when a user is logged out of a secure session on a webpage after a fixed period of time.
Origin of timeout
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use timeout in a sentence
If Huckabee runs, the hurdles he faced the last time out, namely geography and money, would still be there.
Israeli elections means a time out And that brings us to the bottom line.
Why We Should Delay The Israel-Palestinian Peace Process | Aaron David Miller | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNormally Democratic Silicon Valley opened up its wallets to the Republicans this time out.
“[Perry] has a huge campus with seven or eight soundstages,” recalled Fincher, in Time Out Hong Kong.
Gone Girl’s Biggest Twist Is the Superb Tyler Perry | Alex Suskind | October 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTo be sure, Obama has not spent much political capital or much time out on the trail for Abercrombie or Schatz.
Frequent calls for copies of my small book—by this time out of print—testified that this was actually the case.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste TchaikovskyThe chapel has been ruined time out of mind, and is to-day but a motive for a sketch.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. HarperThus, he took time out to warn them of Tarleton's plans and to urge them to delay the British as long as possible.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. TorpeyWhen they had pitched their tents and supper was started, the girls took time out to admire the scenery of their surroundings.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O | Clair BlankHe was a portly man, wore a three-cocked hat, and an old scarlet cloak, which had served the same purpose time out of mind.
British Dictionary definitions for time-out
sport an interruption in play during which players rest, discuss tactics, or make substitutions
a break taken during working hours
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
(intr) (of a computer) to stop operating because of a time-out
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with timeout
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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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