zone out

verb

zoned out; zoning out; zones out

intransitive verb

1

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

zone out in front of the TV

2

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

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

Examples of zone out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fewer than 2,000 permits have been issued in burn zones out of 5,000 applications received to date, according to the state’s dashboard. —Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 27 Nov. 2025

Low Blood Pressure Sometimes zoning out is related to blood flow to your brain rather than a mental health condition or thought pattern. —Sherri Gordon, Health, 22 Oct. 2025

The case supports wireless charging, and the fit stays comfortable through commutes, workouts, or just zoning out. —PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2025

What’s your excuse for zoning out? —Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025

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

Rhymes for zone out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout