downtime
noun
Simple meaning
A period of time set aside for relaxation and rest.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
downtymSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdaʊntaɪm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
chiefly canadaus
A period of time set aside for relaxation and rest; leisure time, free time.
A period of time when work or other activity is less intense or stops.
A period of time when something (as a machine or factory) is not operating (especially as a result of malfunctions)
Time lost due to the failure of some system or machinery, such as a computer crash or power outage.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A period of time set aside for relaxation and rest; leisure time, free time.
Used this way, downtime is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use downtime
- “The factory had some unexpected downtime due to a power outage.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.