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.
Burnham has accused the Mail of reporting a "partial version of events" and added: "They were all out of order and, if they had any decency, would now hold their hands up and apologise."
From BBC • May 22, 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
"This bill doesn't just create problems... it throws our lives out of order completely," said PhD scholar Vaibhav Das, who identifies as non‑binary.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
A source told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that his body was discovered by cleaning staff who had thought that the toilet door was locked for days due to the facility being out of order.
From BBC • Aug. 28, 2025
The Quaker petitions were therefore not treasonable or out of order.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
