timeout

American  

[tahym-out] / ˈtaɪmˈaʊt /

Or time-out

noun

plural

timeouts

1. a brief suspension of activity; intermission or break.

2. 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.

3. a short time alone used as a punishment or consequence for a child who is misbehaving.

4. Computers.

   1. 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.

   2. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of timeout

First recorded in 1870–75; time ( def. ) + out ( def. )

Example Sentences

But in the decades that followed, the splitter was “put in timeout,” Atlanta Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Back then, the miscues included officials mistakenly awarding a team an extra timeout, a helmet-to-helmet that went uncalled despite knocking a receiver unconscious, and a game with so many questionable flags that announcer Al Michaels dubbed the fans’ protests the “loudest manure chant” he had ever heard.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pegula had won the first set 6-1 and despite a medical timeout Jones, who was seen coughing several times during the match, decided at 3-0 down in the second set she was not well enough to continue.

From BBC

With just under a minute left, Davidson hit the floor to get a steal and coach Lindsay Gottlieb called a timeout as a fast break was developing.

From Los Angeles Times

Dunn came out of the timeout, attacked the basket, made a layup and earned a foul.

From Los Angeles Times