out-of-bounds

adverb or adjective

: outside the prescribed or conventional boundaries or limits
If the Frisbee hits the ground or soars out-of-bounds, it changes hands.John Bowermaster
Only a few yards over the green are out-of-bounds markers.Jeff Gerth
Our slate is going to have edgier films that aren't exactly out-of-bounds for children, but that are really made for more sophisticated audiences.David Hochman

Examples of out-of-bounds in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After a timeout, Charlotte’s Igor Milicic Jr. calmly sank a 3-pointer off an out-of-bounds play to tie the game. Langston Wertz Jr., Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2024 Conner is a 6-foot-8 senior who made a three with 3.8 seconds left to tie the game against Chatsworth, then made a three off an out-of-bounds play with 1.5 seconds left for an improbable ending. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024 There’s just one rare exception to this out-of-bounds clock stoppage, and that’s if a runner isn’t going forward — as Dallas Cowboys fans sadly found out with 28 seconds left in their playoff loss to San Francisco last year. Jason Abbruzzese, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024 However, the officials on the field ruled that Buffalo linebacker Baylon Spector didn’t recover the ball with full possession before his body touched the white out-of-bounds line. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024 Cardinal scored the game-winning basket on an out-of-bounds play as Guerin Catholic handed Cathedral its first loss, 48-47. The Indianapolis Star, 15 Jan. 2024 Earlier this month, 23 people needed rescuing in Killington, Vermont, after ducking a boundary rope to ski and snowboard out-of-bounds on a particularly good powder day—the kind that’s getting vanishingly rare in the Northeast. Talia Barrington, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2024 After an unsuccessful Magic challenge on the out-of-bounds ruling, Adebayo buried a 13-foot jumper for a 97-96 Heat lead with 18.8 seconds remaining. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2024 If such out-of-bounds communication protocols come from the IT department, employees might still feel reluctant to bother the boss. Ilia Sotnikov, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'out-of-bounds.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of out-of-bounds was in 1798

Dictionary Entries Near out-of-bounds

Cite this Entry

“Out-of-bounds.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out-of-bounds. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

out-of-bounds

adverb or adjective
ˌau̇t-ə(v)-ˈbau̇n(d)z
: outside the limits of the playing area
the pass went out-of-bounds
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!