time-out
/ˈtaɪm.aʊt/ noun
Forms time-outs timeout
- noun (sports) A short break in the action of a sport, for substitution, consultation, etc. “We're being beaten! We need a time-out!”
- noun (childish) A break from a tense, heated or stressful situation (often enforced, sometimes as a disciplinary measure); a cooling-off period. “I'm going to take a brief time-out from this job.”
- noun (informal) A perhaps temporary break in a relationship.
- noun (communication) The abortion of an incomplete task after a time limit considered long enough for it to end normally.
Etymology
From time + out.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “time-out”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details