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• out-of-bounds
  out-of-bounds

  adjective

  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.
• out of bounds
  out of bounds

  adjective

  (often foll by to) not to be entered (by); barred (to)

out-of-bounds

American  

[out-uhv-boundz] / ˈaʊt əvˈbaʊndz /

adjective

1. 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.

2. beyond any established boundaries or prescribed limits; forbidden; prohibited.

3. further than or beyond established limits, as of behavior or thought.

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out of bounds British  

adjective

1. (often foll by to) not to be entered (by); barred (to)

   out of bounds to civilians

2. outside specified or prescribed limits

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out of bounds Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of out-of-bounds

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

In practice, it means that olive groves, fields with crops and even the cemetery are, in effect, now out of bounds to their owners in the village.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

“Now…they can shift their gears to the South, which still remains out of bounds for them.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

DHS revamped its training curriculum after George Floyd’s murder to underscore those tactics were out of bounds, Brown said.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026

Yet, only three of these companies have P/E ratios way out of bounds.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

Things that had been out of bounds so far, obscured by history’s blinkers.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy