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
Zimmer: And you’re doing it out of order, so you’re like, “Wait, I’m playing the end before I’ve even played the beginning, but I don’t even know what my beginning is.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 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
According to Reuters calculations, at least 20% of Russia's total export capacity was out of order in early April following the attacks.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
She was as delighted with the introduction as she was with the melodic sounds of her language sprinkled over the woods, even if the words were said clumsily and even out of order at times.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
