Meanings
present singular third person spaces out · participle present spacing out · participle past spaced out · past spaced out
- transitiveTo position (objects, people, time slots, etc.) at regular intervals with a calculated space between them.
She spaced out the yoga mats as much as she could while leaving room for some walkways.
2 more examples
She spaced out her scheduled events as much as she could while leaving time for question-and-answer sessions.
Dion's first Las Vegas residency […] went on from 2003 to 2007, with a total of 714 shows […] [Her] second residency was more spaced out, with 427 shows. This allowed Dion to tour internationally during the pockets of time when she wasn't performing in Vegas.
2022 October 5, Lauren Harby, “What We Know About Celine Dion's Health Battle”, in The List - idiomaticintransitiveTo become distracted or disoriented; to lose attention or focus.
She spaced out when the speaker started droning about the fine-print details of convertible debentures.
2 more examples
In that futility and rage, we're seeing incredible alcohol abuse, incredible drug abuse, compulsive sexuality. Just basically spacing out with not as much attention to political values, educational values, feeling connected to society in any kind of way. Sometimes I go to the bars and see these kids and think about the meaninglessness and the emptiness that they'll be feeling five or six years down the road when they're tired of partying.
1980 December 6, Cindy Rizzo, Nancy Toder, “Jewish, Lesbian, Feminist, Psychologist, Author—All of the above and more”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 20, page 8Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, ah, I use the side door - that way Lumbergh can't see me, heh heh - and, uh, after that I just sorta space out for about an hour.
1999, Mike Judge, Office Space (motion picture), spoken by Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) - datedtransitivetypingmediaTo increase the white space between letters, words or lines.
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Bulgarian разполагам, разположа
- разполагам (razpolagam)to position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- разположа (razpoloža)to position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- разсейвам се (razsejvam se)to lose attention
- разсея се (razseja se)to lose attention
- разконцентрирам се (razkoncentriram se)to lose attention
- губя внимание (gubja vnimanie)to lose attention
Finnish sijoittaa tasaisin välein, haaveilla
- sijoittaa tasaisin väleinto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- haaveillato lose attention
- antaa huomion herpaantuato lose attention
Irish agaigh
- agaighto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
Italian distrarsi
- distrarsito lose attention
Polish rozmieszczać, rozmieścić
- rozmieszczaćto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- rozmieścićto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- rozstawiaćto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- rozstawićto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- rozplanowywaćto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- rozplanowaćto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- rozsuwaćto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- rozsunąćto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- błądzić myślamito lose attention
- zawieszać sięto lose attention
- zawiesić sięto lose attention
- wyłączać sięto lose attention
Portuguese dar um espaço, distrair-se
- dar um espaçoto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- distrair-seto lose attention
- desorientar-seto lose attention
Spanish espaciar, apartar
- espaciarto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- apartarto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
- alejarto position at regular intervals with a calculated space between them
Cite this entry
space out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/space%20out
“space out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/space%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “space out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/space%20out.
Source: space out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.