English Reference
Idiom idiom

out of the question


Not remotely possible.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Another loan is out of the question right now.

CONTEXTUAL

When my boss asked me to work overtime again, I told him it was out of the question.

COMPLEX

The committee had hoped for a full restoration of the historic building, but given the soaring costs, such an ambitious project was quickly deemed out of the question.


Related idioms4entries
  1. 01

    burning question

    An important and pertinent question that urgently requires an answer.

  2. 02

    pop the question

    To propose marriage.

  3. 03

    shoot first and ask questions later

    To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences, without first adequately investigating the situation.

  4. 04

    trick question

    A question that attempts to elicit an answer in a certain way, usually incorrectly (i.e. that seems to have an obvious answer that is however incorrect), or a question that does not have a correct answer or that hides the real question or some difficulty.

Last updated August 10, 2026