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Synonyms

out to lunch

Idioms  

  1. Not in touch with the real world, crazy; also, inattentive. For example, If he believes that story, he's really out to lunch, or Anne hasn't heard a word you said—she's out to lunch. This expression transfers a temporary physical absence for the purpose of eating to a temporary or permanent mental absence. [Slang; mid-1900s]

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.

Maybe that happened before COVID, but now the stuff he's saying, it's just completely out to lunch.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2025

"He picked on a few boys within that group, befriend us, invited us back out to lunch at his family home and slowly over the years became a sort of father figure to me."

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2024

Took me out to lunch, told me they were going to rebuild, and if I ever wanted to go somewhere, I didn’t have to be around for it … just as a “thank you.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2023

“They’ve been out to lunch for a long time,” Robinson said.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 10, 2023

“No sweats, okay? I’m going out to lunch with Fiona.”

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

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.