out-of-bounds

adverb or adjective

ˌau̇t-ə(v)-ˈbau̇n(d)z 

: 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

Certain programs also have set play specialists, who oversee a team’s out-of-bounds plays, among other things. —Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025

The Lakers’ comeback attempt against the Houston Rockets on Sunday was thwarted by errant out-of-bounds plays late, stopping them from overcoming the Rockets’ early interior dominance. —Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 6 Jan. 2025

For instance, proper error handling could help prevent incidents like the outage caused by an out-of-bounds memory read that resulted in billions of dollars in direct losses. —Koushik Sundar, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

Where to Play Skiing the Minturn Mile, an out-of-bounds run that spans three miles and drops 3,000 vertical feet, is a right of passage for hard-charging locals. —Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

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