time-outs

noun

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

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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
  1. winters
  2. breaks
  3. lulls
  4. pauses
  5. layoffs
  6. downtimes
  7. interruptions
Noun
  • The northeastern Chinese city is known for its industrial roots and long, harsh winters – much colder than Louisville.
    — Fred He, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Deployments have included cold Northeast winters and extreme Arizona summer conditions.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of winters
Noun
  • The threat of shattered glass if the bottle breaks, the subsequent odor suffusing all the items in your carryon, liquids seeping dangerously close to electronics—none of it sounds like a good idea.
    — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
  • If your washing machine breaks or there is a leak in your ceiling, your landlord will be responsible for paying to replace it or fix the problem.
    — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of breaks
Noun
  • Organized by Hospitality Indiana (formerly the Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association), the two-week promotion runs twice a year to boost business at local restaurants that typically experience lulls during those periods.
    — Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2026
  • At their worst, defensive secondary lapses and occasional offensive lulls kept opponents in games longer than necessary.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of lulls
Noun
  • In response, many cities have introduced data center moratoriums, or temporary pauses on construction, until certain promises have been made.
    — Greta Reich, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • While safety experts say the companies’ new controls and pauses are a welcome change, some say there’s still more needed.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pauses
Noun
  • More Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain rare and jobless claims are still at historically low levels.
    — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • With Los Angeles’s Lucas Museum of Narrative Art finally open to the press, the institution’s chief executive has responded to layoffs and high-profile departures that took place last year in the run-up to the inauguration.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of layoffs
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
Definition of downtimes
Noun
  • Aguas de La Habana, the state utilities company in the capital, issues daily updates to clients on service interruptions caused by electricity cuts or burst pipes.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Continuous operation is particularly important for large facilities, where interruptions can significantly affect production economics and throughput.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of interruptions

Browse Nearby Words

time-out
time-outs
timepiece
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Cite this Entry

“Time-outs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/time-outs. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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