as in winter
a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness we need to take a time-out from our relationship to think things over

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of time-out Consult with your day-care provider about whether time-outs involving quiet moon-sand play would encourage more regulated decision-making. Cora Frazier, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 At the time of our conversation near the end of the first month of 2025, as it’s been a week into a second term for Donald Trump and close to three weeks since wildfires started raging through Los Angeles, Garcelle Beauvais wants to call a time-out. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 28 Jan. 2025 But the four-time major champion player took an immediate medical time-out after converting her second set point. Manasi Pathak, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025 Should you be caught working, you will be picked up and thrown into the fully functional dungeon for a ten-minute time-out. Weike Wang, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for time-out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for time-out
Noun
  • These cases were unusual, occurring in the winter, and no major rodent infestations were found in these victims’ homes.
    Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • In the winter, the mammoths, with their enormous weight, would tamp down snow, trapping methane—a greenhouse gas—that would otherwise be released by melting permafrost.
    D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Since the All-Star break, Phoenix is 30th in halfcourt defense … by a wide margin.
    Shane Young, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The committee is not expected to vote on Isaacman’s confirmation until after lawmakers reconvene from a two-week break that ends April 28.
    Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Imagine an oil rig that detects safety threats in real time, a factory that predicts downtime at a fraction of the cost, or a wind farm that maximizes output across every turbine.
    Amir Husain, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Therefore, respect your need for some privacy and downtime.
    Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • This is when the town shakes off the quiet lull of winter and opens like a bloom kissed by salt and sun.
    Cliff Lewis, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Glencore, a commodities giant, suspended production at one of its copper smelters in Chile this month, creating a lull in supply that is also contributing to higher prices, according to Reuters.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The president announced a 90-day pause for several countries but increased tariffs on Chinese goods to 125%.
    Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Apr. 2025
  • This tactical pause enables regulators, particularly EFRAG, to refine the ESRS and streamline technical standards ahead of the December 2025 transposition deadline, thereby enhancing regulatory clarity.
    Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Food and Drug Administration discovered that some of the administration’s aggressive layoffs left the agency without key personnel.
    Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The Trump administration has fired roughly 7,000 probationary employees, new hires with less than a year of work, and is drafting plans to reduce the tax agency’s remaining workforce by about half through a mix of layoffs, attrition, and buyouts, according to the Associated Press.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 14 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Time-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/time-out. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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