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

The long shutdown put some fishermen out of work and led others to turn to catching crabs or other fish to make a living.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

More than a million people are out of work, food prices have soared and the national currency has spiraled to record lows.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

The move is part of efforts to tackle the growing number of people who are out of work due to poor health.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

Some of them are much easier to make when you have a job than when you are out of work.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

Her husband, with double pneumonia, was out of work for weeks.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times