strung out

comparative more strung out · superlative most strung out · alternative strung-out

1. slangExperiencing withdrawal symptoms of an addiction.

   While he was strung out, he ranted about conspiracies that he couldn't remember when he sobered.

   3 more examples

   She believed he was becoming strung out, if he wasn't hooked yet

   1971, Donald Goines, Dopefiend, page 20

   When I'm out walking, I strut my stuff / Yeah, and I'm so strung out / I'm high as a kite, I just might / Stop to check you out

   1983, Gordon Gano, “Blister in the Sun”, in Violent Femmes, performed by Violent Femmes

   When Ted Hollander first agreed to travel to Naples in search of his missing niece, he drew up for his brother-in-law, who was footing the bill, a plan for finding her that involved cruising the places where aimless, strung-out youths tended to congregate.

   2010, Jennifer Egan, “Goodbye, My Love”, in A Visit from the Goon Squad

2. Widely spaced.

   After the storm the armada was strung out over the ocean, unable to cover each other in battle.

   1 more example

   "Permissive" working allows more than one train to be in a block section at one time but trains must be run at low speed in order to stop on sight behind the train in front. Such working is often authorised to allow freight trains to "bunch" together to await a path through a bottleneck instead of being strung out over several block sections, as would be necessary if absolute working were in force.

   1962 October, “Talking of Trains: The collisions at Connington”, in Modern Railways, page 232

3. idiomaticinformalProlonged in an unnecessary or time-filling manner.

   Then I had to sit through a long strung-out discussion about nothing in particular.

alternative strung-out

1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of string out