Meanings
- idiomaticWhere one is prohibited to enter.
You can play wherever you want, but remember that the cemetery is out of bounds.
- idiomaticBeyond the bounds of civility, morality, or normality.
You were out of bounds to call him a criminal.
1 more example
Intellectually, the four-year-old is in a growthsome age. He learns best from firsthand experience. He is having fun with language and is liable to run out of bounds verbally.
1962, California Journal of Elementary Education, volume 31, page 205Synonyms: beyond the pale, no-go, off-limits
- Outside the area of play; beyond the sideline of a playing field or court.
The ball went out of bounds.
- hobbiesA sideline marking the edge of a playing field or court.
- hobbiesAn instance of a player or the ball going out of bounds.
Although Oklahoma outyarded the Jays 339 to 155, Kansas fought magnificently and earned its 13-13 tie. Royal's punting had begun to jell. He kicked four out-of-bounds against the Crimson and Blue.
1984, Harold Keith, Forty-Seven Straight: The Wilkinson Era at Oklahoma, Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 28 - Ground that one is not permitted to enter, or that is outside the permitted playing area.
Out of bounds starts at the white stake.
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseBeyond the bounds of civility, morality, or normality.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Finnish kielletty, asiaton
- kiellettywhere one is prohibited to enter
- asiatonbeyond the bounds of civility, morality or normality
- ulkonaoutside the area of play
- ulosoutside the area of play
Italian fuori dei limiti
- fuori dei limitioutside the area of play
Spanish fuera de los linderos
- fuera de los linderosoutside the area of play
Cite this entry
out of bounds. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20bounds
“out of bounds.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20bounds. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “out of bounds,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20bounds.
Source: out of bounds on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.