out\ of\ bounds

out\ of\ bounds
adv or adj. phr.
1. Outside of the boundary lines in a game; not on or inside the playing field.

Bill thought he had scored a touchdown, but he had stepped out of bounds before he reached the goal line.

2. Outside of a circumscribed area for a certain kind of work, such as construction or military site.

The principal told the students that the new gymnasium being built on the school grounds was out of bounds.

The captain's cabin is out of bounds to the passengers on the ship.

Contrast: within bounds
3. Outside of safe or proper limits; not doing what is proper; breaking the rules of good behavior.

John was out of bounds when he called Tom a liar in the meeting.

His request for a 25% salary raise was totally out of bounds.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • out-of-bounds — adj. 1. (Sports) outside the delimited playing field. [Narrower terms: {foul (vs. fair) ] WordNet 1.5] 2. barred to a designated group. [predicate] Syn: off limits. [WordNet 1.5] 3. Beyond the limits of the expected standard of taste or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • out of bounds — index excessive, extreme (exaggerated), illicit, impermissible, inordinate, undue (excessive) …   Law dictionary

  • out-of-bounds — out′ of bounds′ adv. adj. spo outside or beyond designated or established limits • Etymology: 1855–60 …   From formal English to slang

  • out of bounds — ► out of bounds 1) (in sport) beyond the field of play. 2) beyond the acceptable or permitted limits. Main Entry: ↑bound …   English terms dictionary

  • Out of bounds — For other uses, see Out of bounds (disambiguation). A player who steps onto the sidelines during play is considered to be out of bounds In sports, out of bounds (or out of bounds) refers to being outside the playing boundaries of the field. Due… …   Wikipedia

  • out-of-bounds — adjective 1. outside the foul lines (Freq. 3) • Similar to: ↑foul 2. barred to a designated group (Freq. 2) that area is off limits • Syn: ↑off limits …   Useful english dictionary

  • out of bounds — {adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. Outside of the boundary lines in a game; not on or inside the playing field. * /Bill thought he had scored a touchdown, but he had stepped out of bounds before he reached the goal line./ 2. Outside of a circumscribed area …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • out of bounds — {adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. Outside of the boundary lines in a game; not on or inside the playing field. * /Bill thought he had scored a touchdown, but he had stepped out of bounds before he reached the goal line./ 2. Outside of a circumscribed area …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • out of bounds — 1) if a place is out of bounds, you are not allowed to go there out of bounds to: The border areas were still out of bounds to tourists. 2) if a subject is out of bounds, you are not allowed to talk about it, know about it etc Details of his… …   English dictionary

  • out of bounds — 1. adjective a) prohibited to enter You can play wherever you want, but remember that the cemetery is out of bounds. b) beyond the bounds of civility or morality; extremely unreasonable You were out of bounds to call him a criminal …   Wiktionary

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