time-outs

plural of time-out
as in winters
a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness we need to take a time-out from our relationship to think things over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of time-outs Both of these non-sung time-outs are astonishingly good. — Chris Willman, Variety, 27 May 2026 Run opposing guards into the ground, step on the gas harder, and force your opponents into spending catch-your-breath time-outs. — Brian Robin, Oc Register, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for time-outs
Noun
  • But El Niño winters generally bring even stronger waves, resulting in more sand loss and erosion.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Historically, El Niño winters lead to wetter conditions in the Southern US and warmer and drier conditions in the North.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • If price breaks above $600, shares clear a major hurdle and a quick pop — driven by a short squeeze and fast money playing the breakout — could follow.
    — Jay Woods, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The 22-dish menu runs nearly three hours and is deliberately less intense than Anand's Thailand flagship, with a page of house rules on phone use and smoke breaks handed out before the welcome drink.
    — Karina Acharya, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • There are no lulls in the storytelling and all the actors are wonderful and hungry and bring the heat.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Dull spells and lulls will crop up, building like waves, peaking, crashing, then dissipating.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Everyone stress-tests the checkout, then quietly buries returns, cancellations and subscription pauses.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But the situation is simply too perilous to entertain any more pauses.
    — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Netflix is obviously against the ropes again, after slowing user engagement on the service rattled Wall Street investors and layoffs came this week as a sacrifice to the share price.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The support was appreciated by those who were impacted by the layoffs.
    — Veronica Macias, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • These trends often materialize in batch changeovers, supplier changes, line downtimes and traceability challenges.
    — Ihor Yurchenko, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The average response time for phone calls dropped to 6 minutes from 30 minutes in the prior fiscal year; field office wait times decreased to 23 minutes; and removal of online service downtimes has benefited an additional 125,000 users in a single week, according to the agency's findings.
    — Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Shorter supply routes could help reduce exposure to transport interruptions and improve access to essential fuels during emergencies.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Nicolás Pereda’s absurdist comedy centers on composer Rosa, who records a television interview at her colleague Tere’s apartment, where interruptions steadily derail the shoot.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Time-outs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/time-outs. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!