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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

James capped the scoring streak with a no-look, alley-oop pass to Jayson Tatum on an out-of-bounds play, zipping the ball toward the rim where the Boston Celtics star slammed it with two hands.

A double bogey at the second was followed by a bogey on the third, while a wayward out-of-bounds drive on the par-four fourth cost him another shot as his round began to unravel.

From BBC

As the score howls with chant-like dirges, blood, sweat and out-of-bounds fears grip the hapless heroine while spooky, shrouded nuns engage in satanic rituals that place her in very dire circumstances.

These conditions were described by Benjamin Kirtman, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Miami, as “unprecedented,” “alarming” and an “out-of-bounds anomaly.”

Kickoffs short of the landing zone are treated the same as out-of-bounds kickoffs, and they’re spotted at the 40.

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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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out-of-body experienceout of breath