zone out

Idioms and Phrases

Stop paying attention, dissociate oneself from a situation. Also, engage in a mindless activity. For example, When Felicia starts talking about her ailments and her friends' ailments, I totally zone out . This idiom also occurs in the passive, be zoned out . It originally alluded to narcotic intoxication and then was broadened to other kinds of dissociation. For a near synonym, see tune out , def. 2. [ Slang ; second half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

I don’t listen to music or podcasts; I just zone out to the crunching of gravel beneath my feet.

From Los Angeles Times

And to be quite honest, I was literally zoned out, just waiting for the band to come back out — like, OK, when is halftime?

From Los Angeles Times

Then I zoned out for about 20 minutes, nearly falling asleep.

From Los Angeles Times

DI would’ve been in heaven, just by being on the open road and zoning out to our favorite artist, but instead, he was in a cell.

From Salon

Pack a nice meal, zone out with music, bring Uno if you are traveling with pals or want to make new friends.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lose consciousness
• pass out