Time out or timeout?
time out is a noun meaning “A short break in the action of a sport, for substitution, consultation, etc”; timeout is a noun meaning “The allowed maximal time for a process to end normally”. time out is written as two words and timeout as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between time out and timeout?
| time out | timeout | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, interjection, verb | noun |
| Meaning | A short break in the action of a sport, for substitution, consultation, etc A break from a tense, heated or stressful situation (often enforced, sometimes as a disciplinary measure); a cooling-off period To call for a time-out | The allowed maximal time for a process to end normally The intentional termination of an incomplete task after a time limit considered long enough for it to end normally |
| Example | We're being beaten! We need a time-out! | My connection was so slow that I kept receiving timeouts when trying to view Web pages |
| Forms | time-outs | timeouts |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtaɪm.aʊt/ /ˈtaɪm ˈaʊt/ | /ˈtaɪm.aʊt/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 1.6 times per million words |
Sources: time out and timeout in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of time out and timeout
time out
- 1
A short break in the action of a sport, for substitution, consultation, etc
We're being beaten! We need a time-out!
- 2
To call for a time-out
- 3
Alternative spelling of time-out
- 4
To end (an incomplete task) after a time limit
- 5
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
- 6
To call for a suspension of activity or conversation
- 7
The period of a live action roleplaying event when players are out of character
- 8
Of a task, to be terminated because it was not completed before a time limit
The download timed out because your Internet connection was disrupted
timeout
- 1
The allowed maximal time for a process to end normally
- 2
The intentional termination of an incomplete task after a time limit considered long enough for it to end normally
My connection was so slow that I kept receiving timeouts when trying to view Web pages
- 3
Alternative form of time-out
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, time out or timeout?
time out is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; timeout 1.6 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search time out vs timeout?
“time out vs timeout” is searched about 20 times a month on Google and 10 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“timeout vs time out”, “time out or timeout”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.