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Synonyms

zone out

Idioms  

  1. Stop paying attention, dissociate oneself from a situation. Also, engage in a mindless activity. For example, When Felicia starts talking about her ailments and her friends' ailments, I totally zone out. This idiom also occurs in the passive, be zoned out. It originally alluded to narcotic intoxication and then was broadened to other kinds of dissociation. For a near synonym, see tune out, def. 2. [Slang; second half of 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.

Then one day in science class, I was sitting in the back row, totally zoned out.

From Literature

Did I zone out of that part of yesterday’s conversation?

From Literature

I also like zoning out in front of the living-room fireplace.

From The Wall Street Journal

I found myself zoning out in class, wondering what was happening to her.

From Literature

She said: "He was much calmer. He was zoned out. I would say he disassociated."

From BBC

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.