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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.

See Examples For:

Yesterday, we babysat our granddaughter while our daughter and her husband went out to lunch to celebrate her birthday.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

"There's already a rat infestation around here now. They are coming out to lunch every day," he said.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2025

Dick Wolf took me out to lunch and persuaded me that it was a really good idea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2024

Similarly, "Pretty Vacant" conveys the emptiness of a conformist, consumer-driven society that is perpetually out to lunch.

From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2024

He slowly slipped the pages into his science notebook and waited for the rest of the kids to rush out to lunch.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

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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.

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