out-of-bounds
Sports. being beyond or passing the limits or boundaries of a field, course, etc., marking the area within which the ball, puck, or the like is legally in play.
beyond any established boundaries or prescribed limits; forbidden; prohibited.
further than or beyond established limits, as of behavior or thought.
Origin of out-of-bounds
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use out-of-bounds in a sentence
They police activity, smack down out-of-bounds behavior, punish wrongdoers, and generally tamp down volatility.
The NFL Referees’ Strike Highlights Larger Truths About the U.S. Economy | Daniel Gross | September 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThis "out-of-bounds" passion will of course be recognised as a Romantic trait, though it had Classical suggestions.
A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2 | George Saintsbury"You can get around that out-of-bounds business without any trouble," he said.
Shock Absorber | E.G. von Wald
British Dictionary definitions for out of bounds
(often foll by to) not to be entered (by); barred (to): out of bounds to civilians
outside specified or prescribed limits
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with out-of-bounds
Beyond established limits, breaking the rules, unreasonable. For example, Calling the teacher a liar—that's out of bounds. This expression alludes to the boundaries of the playing area in numerous sports and to the rules applying to them. Its figurative use dates from the 1940s. [Early 1800s] Also see within bounds.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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