out of order

1. Not functioning well, not operating properly or at all, as in The oil burner is out of order again . [Mid-1500s]

2. Not following parliamentary procedure, as in The chair called him out of order .

3. Unsuitable, inappropriate, as in Her comments about the management were out of order . Also see out of line , def. 1.

Example Sentences

The work hour reports had to be made online, even though the reporting website was out of order for long stretches and many enrollees didn’t have adequate internet access.

From Los Angeles Times

"If you make every ticket extortionately expensive, then it's so out of order on most of your fan base," he says.

From BBC

The 39-year-old father-of-four suffers with chronic back pain and asthma and finds it easier to sleep in the vehicle when the lift is out of order, which it currently is.

From BBC

Branded a "voyeur" by Mourinho after criticising his negative tactics in 2005, Wenger said the Chelsea boss was "out of order" and "disconnected with reality".

From BBC

Ali, who uses a motorised wheelchair, says using stations is difficult enough because lifts are often out of order.

From BBC