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out of practice

Idioms  
  1. No longer used to doing something, no longer adept for lack of doing something, as in Mom hadn't baked a cake in years—she said she was out of practice. [Late 1800s] Also see in practice.


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.

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Wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer was held out of practice as a precaution after he tweaked an ankle and his body monitor indicated an excessive workload, Foster said.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 9, 2025

"I feel out of practice in a way, because by the time I do race it will be 10 months," she told BBC Sport.

From BBC May 13, 2025

The Seahawks signed veteran Sean Mannion to the practice squad and held Smith out of practice last Friday, hoping he’d improve enough to play.

From Seattle Times Dec. 15, 2023

Those evaluations did not indicate anything that might keep Stafford out of practice or threaten his status against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

From Washington Times Oct. 3, 2023

Owning a lute again meant I had my music back, but I quickly realized I was three years out of practice.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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