To pause activity for a rest or penalty, or for a system to stop due to exceeding its time limit.
To stop for a short rest or to be stopped because time ran out.
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
In sports, to call for a short pause in play to allow a team to rest or plan strategy.
"The coach called a time out with two minutes left on the clock."
The Bulls called timeout with 1.8 seconds remaining.
— Common NBA sports commentary; widely attested.
In computing, for a process or connection to stop automatically because the allowed time has been exceeded.
"My online banking session timed out because I didn't do anything for ten minutes."
To take a deliberate break from a stressful activity or situation.
"She decided to time out from social media for the whole month of January."
(Chiefly North American, parenting) To send a child to sit quietly as a disciplinary measure.
"After the third tantrum, she timed him out in the corner for five minutes."
For time to run out or be called out.
To stop for a short rest or to be stopped because time ran out.
As a noun, 'time-out' or 'timeout' is common in sports, parenting, and computing. As a verb, it is most commonly used in tech contexts (the session timed out) and sports. The parenting sense (putting a child in time out) is chiefly North American.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "time out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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