off duty

off duty — idiom

1. not required to be at work or carrying out your usual job responsibilities, espe

1.慣用語B2
釋義

not required to be at work or carrying out your usual job responsibilities, especially in professions that have set shifts such as police officers, nurses, military personnel, or security guards

例句

Brian Chen was off duty when he heard a crash and ran toward the smoke.

be off duty — predicative use

The hospital rules say that nurses cannot give injections while off duty.

while off duty — adverbial clause

同義詞
  • not working

    more general and neutral; lacks the shift-work implication

  • on a break

    temporary rest during a shift, not the same as being completely off duty

  • free

    vague; does not specify work context

反義詞
  • on duty

    the direct opposite — currently required to work

  • at work

    general opposite; describes being present at the workplace

文法句型

be off duty

go off duty

off-duty [noun]

用法筆記

Common in predicative position (be/go off duty) or as a hyphenated attributive adjective before a noun (off-duty officer). Frequently used in contexts involving shift-based professions — police, healthcare, military, emergency services. The opposite is on duty.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor was off from duty when the emergency arrived.
✅The doctor was off duty when the emergency arrived.
💡'off duty' is a fixed phrase; do not insert 'from'.