Meaning & use
low season
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
the time of year when few people travel or visit a place, so prices are lower.
Grammar: Usually used with 'the': in the low season. Can also be written 'low-season' before a noun, as in 'low-season prices.'
Patterns
- in the low season
- during the low season
- low-season prices
Hotel rooms are much cheaper in the low season.
We prefer to visit the island during the low season.
Many restaurants close completely in the low season.
Word forms
| plural | low seasons |
|---|
Common combinations
- in the low season
- Flights are cheapest in the low season.
- during the low season
- The beach is quiet during the low season.
- low-season prices
- Low-season prices make winter a good time to book.
- low-season rates
- The hotel offers low-season rates from November to March.
Synonyms and how they differ
- off season
- Very close in meaning; 'off season' is often used for sports and tourism, while 'low season' is common in travel and business writing.
- quiet season
- Less common but natural; it emphasizes few visitors rather than low prices.
Opposites
Word family
- season noun
- a period of the year with particular weather or activity.
- seasonal adjective
- happening or available at a particular time of year.
- high season noun
- the busiest and most expensive time of year for travel.
Commonly confused: low season or off-season?
low season vs off-season
This is often written with a hyphen and can also mean the period when a sport is not being played; 'low season' is mainly about travel and prices.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'low season' correctly.
Choose one answer.
The low season is the quiet time when fewer people travel, so prices fall. The other options describe busy or peak times, which are the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “low season”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.