time-out

[tahym-out] /ˈtaɪmˈaʊt/
noun, plural time-outs.
1.
a brief suspension of activity; intermission or break.
2.
Sports. a short interruption in a regular period of play during which a referee or other official stops the clock so that the players may rest, deliberate, make substitutions, etc.
Also, timeout.
Origin
1870-75
British Dictionary definitions for time out

time-out

noun
1.
(sport) an interruption in play during which players rest, discuss tactics, or make substitutions
2.
a break taken during working hours
3.
(computing) a condition occurring when the amount of time a computer has been instructed to wait for another device to perform a task has expired, usually indicated by an error message
verb
4.
(intransitive) (of a computer) to stop operating because of a time-out
Word Origin and History for time out

time-out

n.

also time out, 1896 in sports, 1939 in other occupations; from 1980 as the name of a strategy in child discipline; from time + out.

Idioms and Phrases with time out

time out

A short break from work or play; also, a punishment for misbehavior in young children in which they are briefly separated from the group. For example, People rush around so much these days that I think everyone should take some time out now and then, or We don't throw food, Brian; you need some time out to think about it. This expression comes from a number of sports in which it signifies an interruption in play where the officials stop the clock, for purposes of rest, making a substitution, or consultation. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.