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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
off-duty
adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
policeman
▪ The court heard Charles McGhee was convicted of murder after shooting an off-duty policeman during an armed robbery.
▪ The Harlem riot erupted when an off-duty policeman killed James Powell, a teenage boy who had allegedly attacked him.
▪ They followed the raider then the off-duty policeman leaped out of the car and grabbed him.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Sorry, I'm off-duty now.
▪ The blaze was spotted by an off-duty fire-fighter.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A jobless actor was annoying an off-duty bouncer, announcing loudly that he was due for a break.
▪ And even when he's off-duty, O'Neill happily embraces the aura of a man most would consider a burden.
▪ Friends called Jensen an enthusiastic officer who supported youth sports in his off-duty hours.
▪ He would have six off-duty hours, to use as he pleased.
▪ Officers working off-duty are required to respond to crimes that occur at their job.
▪ One result of devolving off-duty allocation to ward level may be arrangements which take too much account of staff interests.
▪ They followed the raider then the off-duty policeman leaped out of the car and grabbed him.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
off-duty

off-duty \off-duty\ adj. not performing or available for duties at the given moment; as, an off-duty policeman. Oposite of on-duty, working, and on-the-job. [prenominal]

Syn: off duty(predicate).

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
off-duty

1743, from off (adv.) + duty.

Wiktionary
off-duty

prep.phr. (alternative spelling of off duty English)

WordNet
off-duty

adj. not performing or scheduled for duties; "He's off every Tuesday"; "he was off duty when it happened"; "an off-duty policeman" [syn: off(p), off duty(p), off-duty(a)]

Usage examples of "off-duty".

The blackcabber had come into her life three weeks ago at the Nightingales cafe, where all the cabbers hung out when off-duty.

Five minutes later I was in a gogo bar on Broadway, discussing inflation with an off-duty stripper called Cindi.

Going off-duty at midnight, I was always itchy, restless, in no mood to go home and sleep.

Though he pretended to be just another one of the jihadi soldier-engineers during off-duty hours, Vor had made it clear that he had to begin construction on the military outpost up the coast.

Hillrun rousted off-duty legionnaires out of their racks, an alarm started to bleat, and a T-2 lumbered toward the rear of the embassy.

He stopped at the table where Kel, Zamiel, Tobe and some off-duty soldiers ate.

At the other booths sit lone disconsolate men with the pink, apologetic eyes and the faintly grimy shirts and shiny ties of bookkeepers, and a few battered couples making the most Friday-night whoopee they can afford, and some trios of off-duty whores.

Up front, the off-duty bettors were crowded around the screen, waiting to see the foursome hit their tee shots.

The extra trainman, a tall, gimlet-eyed individual presumably off-duty and traveling for pleasure, had shown a railroad-pass when the real-conductor came through to collect tickets.

To anyone other than me, my lone ranger probably looked like a forty-odd-year-old off-duty photocopier I repairman on his way to play candlepins at the local bowling alley.

The dayroom, situated across the main corridor from the passenger cabin, was our off-duty spot.

The ward sister informed Dunworthy grimly that she was going off-duty, and a much smaller and more cheerful blonde nurse, wearing the insignia of a student, came in to check the drips and look at the displays.

Off-duty sports writers from the News-Miner had been enjoying a few beers at a nearby lodge and had spotted the driverless team as it went by.

A place where any and all off-duty lawmen were welcome to sit on the tailgates of pickup trucks, drink beer, eat fajitas and shoot the breeze.

From there I found the main square and asked an off-duty trooper where the Finest were quartered.