noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈdaʊntaɪm/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈdaʊnˌtaɪm/
CMU ARPABET:D AW1 N T AY2 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Time lost due to the failure of some system or machinery, such as a computer crash or power outage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: uptime
2
noun
Meaning 2
A period of time when work or other activity is less intense or stops.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A period of time set aside for relaxation and rest; leisure time, free time.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Canada, US, countable, uncountable
Examples
I’ve been working all weekend. I need some downtime.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a period of time when something (as a machine or factory) is not operating (especially as a result of malfunctions)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: uptime
Broader terms: time period, period of time, period
History
Etymology
From down (“out of order; out of service; inoperable”) + time.
Across languages
Translations
40 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
فترة التعطيل
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Bulgarian:
престо́й
(prestój)
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Chinese Mandarin:
停機時間 /停机时间
(tíngjī shíjiān)
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Danish:
nedetid
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Dutch:
downtime
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Finnish:
häiriöaika
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Finnish:
käyttökatko
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Finnish:
keskeytysaika
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Finnish:
seisokkiaika
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
French:
pause
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
French:
repos
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
French:
taux d'indisponibilité
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
French:
temps d'arrêt
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
German:
Downtime
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
German:
Ausfallzeit
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Hungarian:
állásidő
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Hungarian:
állási idő
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Hungarian:
holtidő
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Hungarian:
kiesési időtartam
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Hungarian:
meghibásodási idő
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Hungarian:
üzemszünet
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Italian:
tempo di fermo
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Italian:
tempo di riposo
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Italian:
tempo passivo
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Japanese:
ダウンタイム
(dauntaimu)
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Korean:
다운타임
(dauntaim)
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Macedonian:
за́стој
(zástoj)
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Māori:
wākarioi
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Norwegian Bokmål:
nedetid
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Norwegian Nynorsk:
nedetid
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Persian:
زمان اکار
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Polish:
przestój
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Russian:
просто́й
(prostój)
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Russian:
вре́мя просто́я
(vrémja prostója)
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Swedish:
avbrottstid
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Swedish:
nertid
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Yakut:
боростуой
(borostuoy)
— amount of time lost due to forces beyond one’s control
Finnish:
rauhallisempi aika
— period of time when work or other activity is less intense or stops
Spanish:
tiempo muerto
— period of time when work or other activity is less intense or stops
Spanish:
tiempo inactivo
— period of time when work or other activity is less intense or stops