out of work

prepositional phrase

unemployed, or having nothing to do

Meanings

prepositional phrase

alternative out-of-work

  1. unemployed, or having nothing to do
  2. datednot working correctly; out of order

    This lost time was caused mainly because the operator had to find the dispatcher and notify him that the machine was out of work.

    1955, Franklin G. Moore, Manufacturing Management, page 812

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivenot having a job

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

out of work. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20work

MLA

“out of work.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20work. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “out of work,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20work.

Source: out of work on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.