time-out

  1. Noun.  (sport) A short break in the action of a sport, for substitution, consultation, etc.
  2. Noun.  A break from a tense, heated or stressful situation (often enforced, sometimes as a disciplinary measure); a cooling-off period.
  3. Noun.  (context, communication) The intentional ending of an incomplete task after a time limit considered a long enough for it to end normally.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.