out of order
Idioms-
Not functioning well, not operating properly or at all, as in The oil burner is out of order again . [Mid-1500s]
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Unsuitable, inappropriate, as in Her comments about the management were out of order . Also see out of line , def. 1.
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Not following parliamentary procedure, as in The chair called him out of order .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Monday Mr. Khanna’s amendment was ruled out of order.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Burnham has accused the Mail of reporting a "partial version of events" and added: "They were all out of order and, if they had any decency, would now hold their hands up and apologise."
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
"The fountain was out of order and the lawns were bad -- it was necessary," says 40-something neighborhood resident Dina Smith.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
A figure within the industry said it would not be out of order for someone with her skills and connections to command a 10% commission on products for which she secured a contract.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
There were more than a hundred pages, many of them crumpled, folded, or torn, all of them out of order.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
