offline

adjective

off·​line ˈȯf-ˈlīn 

variants or less commonly off-line

1

: not connected to or served by a system and especially a computer or telecommunications system

One of the servers is offline.

… we suggest you keep a backup of your digital assets in offline storage, too. This storage can provide some cushioning if your online investment disappears in an instant.

—The Denver (Colorado) Post

also : done or occurring independently of such a system

our online and offline lives

offline activities/events

Movies and shows can be downloaded via the app for offline viewing.

—Dan Auty

2

of a person : not available (as for communication) especially by way of the the Internet

She was having computer trouble, she told him, and would be offline for a while.

—Mark Warren

off-line adverb

Examples of offline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As well as creating vast online revenues, the new surge in interest in Pikachu and his fellow cast of characters is spilling over into the offline world. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Asia, 18 Dec. 2024

In 2017, Alibaba took Intime private to speed the e-commerce giant’s offline retail footprint as the explosive growth of online sales began to slow. —Denni Hu, WWD, 17 Dec. 2024

There will be offline spaces where volunteers who already experienced loneliness and are nearly disconnected from society meet with those vulnerable to talk and form a community. —Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2024

And then Teeny would screenshot tweets and translate them into something an offline 33-year-old grandma would understand. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024

The intrigue: San Francisco's disaster sirens, which would have sounded during the tsunami advisory, have been offline since 2019 due to a lack of funding. —Nadia Lopez, Axios, 5 Dec. 2024

Being a multiplayer live-service title, there will be no way to access the game in an offline environment following its delisting. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024

Just over a quarter designate offline time for themselves, and more than a fifth won’t take phones and tablets to bed. —Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Paywall-free reading of new articles and over a century of archives Unlock access to iOS/Android apps to save editions for offline reading Six issues a year in print and online, plus audio articles Subscribe Now NANCY OKAIL is President and CEO of the Center for International Policy. —Nancy Okail, Foreign Affairs, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

offline

adjective

off·​line

ˈȯ-ˈflīn

1

: not connected to or controlled by a computer

an offline printer

2

: not available (as for communication) especially by way of the Internet

she was offline all day

off-line adverb