out of order

The phrase "out of order" is often used to describe things that are broken, not in sequence, or inappropriate.

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Definition

B1General

(common)Not functioning properly or broken.

Example

  • The elevator is out of order, so you'll have to take the stairs.

B2Sequence

(common)Not in the correct or expected sequence.

Example

  • The chapters in the book were out of order, making it difficult to follow the story.

B2Behavior

(common)Inappropriate or unacceptable behavior or speech.

Example

  • His comments were completely out of order and offended many people.

C1Formal Meetings

(formal)Not in accordance with procedural rules governing formal meetings.

Example

  • The motion was ruled out of order because it did not follow the meeting's agenda.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "out of order":

out of lineout of whackout of stockout of jointbroken inout of sortsout of syncout of placeout of controlout of boundsout of stepout of dateback orderout of tuneout of workout of frameout ofout of timeout of handout to lunchout of gearout of townmessed upin errorout of reachout of the wayout of squareout of gasout of questionout of it