downtime
gb/dˈaʊntˌaɪm/ us/dˈaʊntˌaɪm/
B2
English
szabadidő, pihenőidő, leállás, kiesés, üresjárat, állásidő
NOUN
B2
1
Usage pattern:
[someone] has/needs/gets [some/a little] downtime
After the conference, I needed a day of downtime before flying home.
A konferencia után szükségem volt egy nap szabadidőre, mielőtt hazarepültem.
Parents with young children often get very little downtime.
A kisgyerekes szülőknek gyakran nagyon kevés szabadidejük van.
She uses her downtime to read, cook, and catch up with friends.
Learner examples
I need some downtime tonight.
Ma este szükségem van egy kis szabadidőre.
He had downtime at home on Sunday.
Vasárnap otthon volt egy kis szabadideje.
Common mistake:
Usually uncountable: say “some downtime” or “a period of downtime,” not usually “a downtime.”
Meaning
free time to relax
Collocations
need downtime
|get some downtime
|enjoy downtime
|personal downtime
|a little downtime
|well-deserved downtime
|downtime after work
|during your downtime
Synonyms
free time (more general; may include errands or any non-work time)
|
time off (often means official time away from work or school)
|
leisure time (slightly more formal; emphasizes enjoyable activities)
|
rest (focuses on recovering energy rather than on the time available)
Antonyms
work time (time spent working rather than relaxing)
|
busy period (a time with many tasks and little chance to rest)
Themes
daily_life
|work
|leisure
|wellbeing
Definition
time when you can rest because you are not working or busy
time when you are not working, studying, or busy, especially time used to rest or do something enjoyable.
NOUN
B2
TECHNICAL
2
Usage pattern:
[system/service] downtime; downtime for [maintenance/repairs]
The app had two hours of downtime after the update failed.
Az alkalmazás két órára leállt, miután a frissítés nem sikerült.
Scheduled downtime begins at midnight while we replace the servers.
A tervezett leállás éjfélkor kezdődik, amíg kicseréljük a szervereket.
Each minute of website downtime can cost the company thousands of dollars.
Learner examples
The website had downtime this morning.
A weboldalon ma reggel leállás volt.
We try to reduce server downtime.
Igyekszünk csökkenteni a szerverek leállási idejét.
Common mistake:
The opposite in technology contexts is “uptime,” not “up time” in most noun uses.
Meaning
system or equipment outage
Collocations
system downtime
|server downtime
|website downtime
|network downtime
|scheduled downtime
|unplanned downtime
|minimize downtime
|reduce downtime
|hours of downtime
|downtime incident
Synonyms
outage (common for services, power, internet, or networks being unavailable)
|
service interruption (more formal; emphasizes that users cannot access the service)
|
unavailability (more technical; focuses on access rather than cause)
|
shutdown (often intentional or official, not always caused by a fault)
Antonyms
uptime (time when a system is operating and available)
|
availability (the state or measure of being usable or accessible)
Themes
technology
|business
|maintenance
|operations
Definition
time when a website, machine, or service is not working or cannot be used
a period when a computer system, website, machine, or service is not working or not available, especially because of failure or maintenance.
NOUN
C1
BUSINESS
3
Usage pattern:
downtime between [tasks/jobs/shots]; reduce/minimize downtime
We had a lot of downtime between scenes, so the filming took all day.
Sok volt az üresjárat a jelenetek között, ezért a forgatás egész nap tartott.
The manager reorganized the schedule to reduce employee downtime.
A vezető átszervezte a beosztást, hogy csökkentse a dolgozók üresjáratát.
On the factory floor, even short periods of downtime affect output.
Learner examples
There was downtime between meetings.
Volt egy kis üresjárat a megbeszélések között.
The new plan reduces downtime at work.
Az új terv csökkenti a munkahelyi üresjáratot.
Common mistake:
This meaning can refer to unproductive waiting time, not necessarily relaxing free time.
Meaning
idle time between activities
Collocations
production downtime
|employee downtime
|operational downtime
|avoidable downtime
|downtime between jobs
|downtime between meetings
|downtime between scenes
|reduce downtime
|cut downtime
|minimize downtime
Synonyms
idle time (very close; emphasizes that people or equipment are not being used)
|
waiting time (more general; may not imply lost productivity)
|
lull (a temporary quiet or slow period)
|
dead time (informal; emphasizes wasted or unproductive time)
Antonyms
productive time (time used effectively for work or output)
|
active time (time when work, production, or activity is actually happening)
Themes
work
|business
|productivity
|operations
Definition
waiting time during work when people or equipment are not doing useful work
time during work, production, or an organized activity when people or equipment are waiting and not actively doing anything useful.
Grammar
Dictionary form
downtime
IPA
GB/dˈaʊntˌaɪm/
US/dˈaʊntˌaɪm/
Syllables & stress
down - time (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (down)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: downtime
- Plural: downtime, downtimes
Expressions
downtime costs
1/dˈaʊntˌaɪm kˈɔsts/
fixed phrase
business
losses from inactivity
money lost because work stops or a system is not working
Examples
- The report estimates downtime costs at $8,000 per minute.
- Preventive maintenance can lower downtime costs on the production line.
- Small businesses often underestimate downtime costs after a cyberattack.
Learner examples
- Downtime costs can be high.
minimal downtime
1/mˈɪnəməl dˈaʊntˌaɪm/
fixed phrase
technical
very short interruption
only a short time when something stops working or is not available
Examples
- We can install the patch with minimal downtime.
- The team planned the move carefully to ensure minimal downtime for users.
- Choose a provider that offers reliable backups and minimal downtime.
Learner examples
- The update caused minimal downtime.
scheduled downtime
1/skˈɛd͡ʒuld dˈaʊntˌaɪm/
fixed phrase
technical
planned service interruption
planned time when a system or service will not work because people are fixing or updating it
Examples
- Payment services will be unavailable during scheduled downtime on Sunday morning.
- The company announced scheduled downtime for a database upgrade.
- Please save your work before the scheduled downtime starts.
Learner examples
- The site has scheduled downtime tonight.
unplanned downtime
1/ʌnplˈænd dˈaʊntˌaɪm/
fixed phrase
technical
unexpected service interruption
time when a system or service unexpectedly stops working
Examples
- The cloud provider apologized for unplanned downtime caused by a network failure.
- Unplanned downtime stopped orders from going through for nearly an hour.
- A backup server can help reduce the risk of unplanned downtime.
Learner examples
- The store lost sales during unplanned downtime.
uptime and downtime
1/ˌʌptˌaɪm ˈænd dˈaʊntˌaɪm/
fixed phrase
technical
availability and interruption
the times when a system works and the times when it does not work
Examples
- The monthly report shows uptime and downtime for each server.
- We monitor uptime and downtime to check whether the service is reliable.
- The dashboard gives customers a clear view of uptime and downtime.
Learner examples
- The chart shows uptime and downtime.
zero downtime
1/zˈɪɹoʊ dˈaʊntˌaɪm/
fixed phrase
technical
no service interruption
no time when the system or service stops working
Examples
- Our goal is to move the database with zero downtime.
- The new platform supports zero-downtime deployments.
- Customers should not notice the upgrade because it is designed for zero downtime.
Learner examples
- They updated the app with zero downtime.