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Definition: offline


(1) A computer or mobile device that is not connected to the Internet or internal network. If a printer, scanner or external storage drive is physically connected to the computer but not turned on or is not in ready mode, the device is said to be offline as well. From the 1960s through the 1980s, disk packs and tape cartridges that were demounted and stored in the data library were also considered offline. Contrast with online. See offline file.

(2) "Not with it." Slang for someone who is uninformed. See 404.