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View synonyms for out-of-bounds

out-of-bounds

[ out-uhv-boundz ]

adjective

  1. Sports. being beyond or passing the limits or boundaries of a field, course, etc., marking the area within which the ball, puck, or the like is legally in play.
  2. beyond any established boundaries or prescribed limits; forbidden; prohibited.
  3. further than or beyond established limits, as of behavior or thought.


out of bounds

adjective

  1. often foll by to not to be entered (by); barred (to)

    out of bounds to civilians

  2. outside specified or prescribed limits
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of out-of-bounds1

First recorded in 1855–60
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Idioms and Phrases

Beyond established limits, breaking the rules, unreasonable. For example, Calling the teacher a liar—that's out of bounds . This expression alludes to the boundaries of the playing area in numerous sports and to the rules applying to them. Its figurative use dates from the 1940s. [Early 1800s] Also see within bounds .
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Example Sentences

They police activity, smack down out-of-bounds behavior, punish wrongdoers, and generally tamp down volatility.

This "out-of-bounds" passion will of course be recognised as a Romantic trait, though it had Classical suggestions.

"You can get around that out-of-bounds business without any trouble," he said.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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