out of phase

Idioms  

1. Also, out of sync. In an unsynchronized or uncorrelated way. For example, Inventory control and shipping are out of phase, so we can't rely on their figures, or The lights are out of sync and keep flashing at random. For dates, see the antonym in phase.

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Example Sentences

Due to the intrinsic microvariations in motor speeds, one machine ran slightly faster and the loops moved in and out of phase, leading to a hypnotic, static quality that would become Mr. Reich’s trademark.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The study also implies that eastern Tibet was elevated prior to approximately 15 million years ago and the timing of fluvial incision may be out of phase with the growth of plateau topography.

From Science Daily • Sep. 22, 2023

If, however, the waves of light are out of phase and overlap while misaligned, a peak may meet a trough in the wave, and both are canceled out, a process known as destructive interference.

From Scientific American • Jun. 13, 2023

That experience clearly inflected “Benjamin Button,” a fantastical film about how we move in and out of phase with the people we love, en route to our graves.

From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2020

The ion particles would fall out of phase, they said, or would crash into the walls of the accelerating chamber, or would collide with stray air molecules in their way.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik