Meanings
nountime-out (plural time-outs)
plural time-outs · alternative timeout
- hobbiesA short break in the action of a sport, for substitution, consultation, etc.
We're being beaten! We need a time-out!
- childishA break from a tense, heated or stressful situation (often enforced, sometimes as a disciplinary measure); a cooling-off period.
I'm going to take a brief time-out from this job.
2 more examples
Hitting people is not acceptable! Go to your room and take a time-out!
As punishment, my mom gave me a 15-minute time-out.
2001 January 3, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic) - informalA perhaps temporary break in a relationship.
- communicationThe abortion of an incomplete task after a time limit considered long enough for it to end normally.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
Translations
Arabic وَقْت مُسْتَقْطَع
- وَقْت مُسْتَقْطَع (waqt mustaqṭaʕ)in sports
Bulgarian прекъсване, почивка
- прекъсване (prekăsvane)in sports
- почивка (počivka)in sports
Catalan temps mort, téntol
- temps mortin sports
- téntolin sports
Chinese Mandarin 暫停 /暂停
- 暫停 /暂停 (zàntíng)in sports
Finnish aikalisä, aikalisä
- aikalisäin sports
- aikalisäbreak from a heated or stressful situation
- aikakatkaisuintentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit
French arrêt de jeu, temps mort
- arrêt de jeuin sports
- temps mortin sports
- time outintentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit
German Auszeit, Timeout
- Auszeitin sports
- Timeoutin sports
- Auszeitbreak from a heated or stressful situation
- Timeoutintentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit
Icelandic leikhlé
- leikhléin sports
Japanese タイムアウト, タイムアウト
- タイムアウト (taimuauto)in sports
- タイムアウト (taimuauto)break from a heated or stressful situation
- タイムアウト (taimuauto)intentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit
Korean 타임아웃
- 타임아웃 (taimaut)in sports
Māori wā hiki, wā hiki
- wā hikiin sports
- wā hikibreak from a heated or stressful situation
Polish przerwa
- przerwain sports
Portuguese intervalo, tempo
- intervaloin sports
- tempobreak from a heated or stressful situation
Russian тайм-а́ут, переры́в
- тайм-а́ут (tajm-áut)in sports
- переры́в (pererýv)break from a heated or stressful situation
- переды́шка (peredýška)break from a heated or stressful situation
- тайм-а́ут (tajm-áut)break from a heated or stressful situation
- переку́р (perekúr)break from a heated or stressful situation
- тайм-а́ут (tajm-áut)intentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit
- блокиро́вка по вре́мени (blokiróvka po vrémeni)intentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit
- лими́т вре́мени (limít vrémeni)intentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit
Spanish tiempo muerto, tiempo fuera
- tiempo muertoin sports
- tiempo fuerain sports
- chepi m chepabreak from a heated or stressful situation
- taimabreak from a heated or stressful situation
- taimebreak from a heated or stressful situation
Swedish timeout, time-out
- timeoutin sports
- time-outin sports
- timeoutbreak from a heated or stressful situation
- time-outbreak from a heated or stressful situation
- vilopausbreak from a heated or stressful situation
- tidsgränsintentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit
Turkish mola
- molain sports
Ukrainian тайм-а́ут
- тайм-а́ут (tajm-áut)in sports
Cite this entry
APA
time-out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/time-out
MLA
“time-out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/time-out. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “time-out,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/time-out.
Source: time-out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.