out of work

Idioms  

1. Unemployed; also, having no work to do. For example, He lost his job a year ago and has been out of work ever since, or They don't give her enough assignments—she's always out of work. Shakespeare used this expression in Henry V (1:2): “All out of work and cold for action.”

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Example Sentences

The long shutdown put some fishermen out of work and led others to turn to catching crabs or other fish to make a living.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

More than a million people are out of work, food prices have soared and the national currency has spiraled to record lows.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Alonso has been out of work since he left Real after less than eight months in charge in January.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

She said this would help parents in education and those out of work to have time to prepare for job interviews, and it would be largely funded by replacing the "broken" council tax system.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

Beginning in the spring of 1919, the insect known as the boll weevil had destroyed entire cotton crops, throwing thousands of black agricultural workers out of work.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler