timeout

or time-out

[ tahym-out ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural timeouts.

a brief suspension of activity; intermission or break.
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.
a short time alone used as a punishment or consequence for a child who is misbehaving.
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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Word History and Origins

Origin of timeout¹

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

After the timeout they ramped up their defense and sharpened their offense.

From

A screaming Redick called a timeout and launched into a profane rant captured by the wonders of national television.

From

They were briefly challenged again in the fourth quarter when their offense again got sloppy — two straight shot-clock violations — and the Timberwolves pushed to within single digits, leading Redick to call another get-in-their-faces timeout with 6:16 left.

From

The Nuggets called a timeout to call an important play after the Clippers’ challenge was unsuccessful.

From

The Kings called a timeout with 2.2 seconds left.

From

timeous time out

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