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

See Examples For:

out of work

Yet hiring is slow and people who are out of work are still struggling to find jobs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

At the Vidin-Calafat bridge connecting Bulgaria and Romania across the Danube, Bulgarian fishermen complained of being out of work because the low water levels had trapped their boats onshore.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Xu Xiaoxue, 33, has been out of work for four years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Twin Temple, composed of married couple Alexandra and Zachary James, weren’t out of work for long.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

During the Great Depression, which began in late 1929, businesses across the United States closed down, putting millions of people out of work.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow