time sharing

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

time sharing noun

1. a system of part ownership of a property, such as a flat or villa, for use as a holiday home, whereby each participant buys the right to use the property for the same fixed period annually
2. a system by which users at different terminals of a computer can, because of its high speed, apparently communicate with it at the same time
   Compare batch processing

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

time-shar•ing /ˈtaɪmˌʃɛrɪŋ/   n. [uncountable]

1. a plan in which several people share costs of a vacation home:
   Time-sharing allows each person to use a residence for a specified period of time each year.
2. Computing a computer system in which users at different terminals use a single computer at the same time.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

time-shar•ing  (tīm′shâr′ing), n. 

1. [Computers.] a system or service in which a number of users at different terminals simultaneously use a single computer for different purposes.
2. Also, time-share. a plan in which persons share ownership or rental costs of a vacation home, esp. a condominium, entitling each participant to use the residence for a specified time each year.

• 1960–65