: proper or usual state or condition : order
out of kilter
Examples of kilter in a Sentence
since I dropped my food processor, it's been all out of kilter
Recent Examples on the Web
With the national debt at $37 trillion, Congress needs a dose of shock treatment because the debt-to-GDP ratio is out of kilter.
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Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 12 Feb. 2025
Like some human neighbors, the polar jet stream and vortex generally keep to themselves, but sometimes one neighbor or the other gets off kilter or bent out of shape and can disrupt the other band of fast-moving air.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Relying so much on a 20-year-old playing his third game in England is out of kilter with best practice — albeit a further sign of the issues inherent in this team.
—Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
That means our reactions to individual results are out of kilter: in a campaign when City do nothing but win, drawing once at home can be fatal; in one where there’s more leeway for their rivals, the damage is limited.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kilter
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Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 12 Feb. 2025
Like some human neighbors, the polar jet stream and vortex generally keep to themselves, but sometimes one neighbor or the other gets off kilter or bent out of shape and can disrupt the other band of fast-moving air.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Relying so much on a 20-year-old playing his third game in England is out of kilter with best practice — albeit a further sign of the issues inherent in this team.
—Laurie Whitwell, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
That means our reactions to individual results are out of kilter: in a campaign when City do nothing but win, drawing once at home can be fatal; in one where there’s more leeway for their rivals, the damage is limited.
—Carl Anka, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kilter
Cite this Entry
“Kilter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kilter. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kilter
noun
kil·ter
ˈkil-tər 
: proper condition
the TV is out of kilter
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