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

See Examples For:

out of work

At the Vidin-Calafat bridge connecting Bulgaria and Romania across the Danube, Bulgarian fishermen complained of being out of work because the low water levels had trapped their boats onshore.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

For example, more than a third of people out of work in the professional-services sector have been unemployed for six months or more, federal data show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Twin Temple, composed of married couple Alexandra and Zachary James, weren’t out of work for long.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

It’s even worse for those out of work, as Abernathy discovered.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

At first it was the men of the ships and wharves that were thrown out of work and could not get food for their families.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes