offline

American

[awf-lahyn, of-] / ˈɔfˈlaɪn, ˈɒf- /

Or off-line,

adjective

Computers. operating independently of, or disconnected from, an associated computer.
Radio. (of a network) not supplying affiliated stations with programming but allowing each station to program its own shows, usually within a specific format.
Television. of or relating to the preliminary planning and editing of a videotaped program.
located in or serving a place not on a regular route of a railroad, bus, or air carrier.

an offline ticket office.

adverb

in or to a more private place.

We should take this discussion offline.

offline British

/ ˈɒfˌlaɪn /

adjective

of, relating to, or concerned with a part of a computer system not connected to the central processing unit but controlled by a computer storage device See online
disconnected from a computer; switched off
extra to or not involving a continuous sequence of operations, such as a production line
radio television (of processes, such as editing) not carried out on the actual transmission medium

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

while not connected to a computer or the internet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of offline

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Let’s take this offline: No, let’s discuss it now!

From The Wall Street Journal

We are offline right now, we’re in a conference room.

From The Wall Street Journal

TCM bars "draw people from online to offline, and the social experience it creates delivers emotional value", Hua Hui, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told AFP.

From Barron's

The facility had been offline since Japan pulled the plug on nuclear power after a colossal earthquake and tsunami sent three reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown.

From Barron's

The facility had been offline since Japan pulled the plug on nuclear power after a colossal earthquake and tsunami sent three reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown in 2011.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023