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Meaning & use

off-season

noun, adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈɒf ˌsiːzn/
US/ˈɔːf ˌsiːzn/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    The part of the year when a business, resort or activity is quiet and has few customers.

    Grammar: Often used with the: during the off-season.

    Patterns

    • in the off-season
    • during the off-season

    Hotels in the mountain town are half empty in the off-season.

    We visited Greece in the off-season to avoid the crowds.

    Many beach cafes close during the off-season.

  2. nouncountablesport

    The time between the end of one sports season and the start of the next.

    Grammar: Used with the: in the off-season the players train.

    Patterns

    • in the off-season

    The team signed two new players in the off-season.

    He used the off-season to recover from his injury.

  3. adjectivebefore a noun

    Happening or offered at a time of year that is not the busy period.

    Grammar: Comes before a noun: off-season prices.

    We booked an off-season flight at half the price.

    Off-season rates make the ski lodge much cheaper.

Word forms

pluraloff-seasons

Common combinations

in the off-season
Rooms are cheaper in the off-season.
off-season rates
The campsite offers off-season rates after September.
off-season travel
Off-season travel can mean fewer crowds.
during the off-season
The farm stand is closed during the off-season.
off-season training
Off-season training kept the players fit.

Synonyms and how they differ

low season
Low season is the usual British tourism phrase, while off-season is common in both tourism and sport.
slow season
Slow season is used for any business that is quiet, not only travel.
shoulder season
Shoulder season is the in-between period, so it is busier than the off-season but quieter than the peak.

Opposites

peak seasonhigh season

Word family

season noun
one of the periods of the year, or a period of an activity
seasonal adjective
depending on the time of year
preseason noun
the period before a sports season begins

Commonly confused: off-season or out of season?

off-season vs out of season

Out of season usually describes a product that is not available or in its best form at that time, for example fruit, while off-season describes the quiet time of a business.

Practice

We went to the coast in the ___ because rooms were cheap and the beaches were empty.

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