zone out

verb

zoned out; zoning out; zones out

Synonyms of zone out next

intransitive verb

US, informal : to become oblivious to one's surroundings especially in order to relax

zone out in front of the TV

US, informal : to become unfocused or inattentive because of tiredness or boredom

Students began to zone out towards the end of the assembly.

Examples of zone out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Watching 30 minutes of PBS Kids is not the same as mindlessly tuning in and zoning out to whatever YouTube’s algorithms randomly offer up. —

Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 15 July 2024 Lee often zones out in scenes, even when other people are talking to her. —

Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 July 2024 Plug in, zone out, leave that body of yours that’s folded uncomfortably into an economy seat. —

Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2024 The result is versatile tracks that are equally likely to make a crowd dance in a club or allow a solitary listener to zone out on their headphones. —

Spin Contributor, SPIN, 24 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for zone out

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

Word History

Etymology

of uncertain origin

Note: Attested slightly earlier is zoned "intoxicated." Zone out is perhaps in part by analogy with zone in, in part after space out, given the relative semantic proximity of space and zone. Note also that zoned is phonetically similar to zonked.

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of zone out was in 1970

See more words from the same year