offline

offline — adjective

1. describes a computer, phone, or other device that is not currently linked to the

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a computer, phone, or other device that is not currently linked to the internet or to a larger system; can also describe an activity done while not connected, such as reading a saved article without a network.

Example

Maya kept her laptop offline during the long flight to Tokyo.

predicate adjective: kept [device] offline

The hotel printer is offline, so guests cannot send any documents to it tonight.

be offline = unable to receive jobs over the network

Common collocations
  • go offline
  • stay offline
  • work offline
  • read offline
  • save for offline use
  • offline mode
Synonyms
  • disconnected

    general; can describe any broken link, not only digital

  • unplugged

    informal; suggests a deliberate break from screens

  • down

    for systems or servers that have stopped working temporarily

Antonyms
  • online

    connected to the internet or a network

  • connected

    broader opposite, covers any active link

Grammar Patterns

be offline

go offline

work offline

Usage Note

Used both as a predicate adjective (the server is offline) and as an adverb (work offline, save it offline). Subject is usually a device, system, account, or person doing a digital activity.

Common Mistakes

Please put the document on offline.
Please save the document for offline use.
'offline' does not take 'on'; it stands alone or follows a noun like 'use' or 'mode'.
I am offline yesterday.
I was offline yesterday.
pair with 'be' tense matching the time, not present 'am' for past events.
Idioms

take something offline

idiom

To discuss a topic later, usually because it is not suitable for the current meeting.

Maya suggested they take the budget issue offline after the meeting.

Can we take this discussion offline and focus on the main agenda now?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that is not actively linked, but they fit different scenes. 'Offline' is the standard tech word for a device, account, or service that is not joined to the internet or a central system right now, and it sounds neutral and current. 'Disconnected' is broader: a cable, a relationship, or even a thought can be disconnected, so in tech contexts it often stresses the moment the link broke. 'Unplugged' is informal and a little playful; people use it for a chosen break from screens, like 'a weekend unplugged in the mountains'. 'Down' is the word for systems and servers that have failed or are under maintenance, as in 'the website is down', and it usually signals a problem rather than a quiet choice.

offline ↗disconnected ↗unpluggeddown ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • offline mode
  • offline access
  • offline storage
  • offline event
  • offline meeting

Adverbs

  • completely offline
  • temporarily offline
  • currently offline

Phrases

Prepositions

  • offline for [period]
  • offline since [time]

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English in the mid 20th century from 'off' plus 'line', where 'line' meant a telegraph or telephone line, and later a data link. Early use was in industrial and computing contexts to mean 'not connected to the main line of operation'. As home internet spread in the 1990s, the word shifted toward its current everyday meaning of 'not connected to the internet'.