English Reference
Idiom idiom

space out


To become distracted or disoriented; to lose attention or focus.

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


SIMPLE

I often space out during long meetings.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher noticed the student began to space out while she explained the difficult math problem.

COMPLEX

Exhausted from the long journey, he found his mind beginning to space out as the lecturer droned on about abstract economic theories.


Related idioms3entries
  1. 01

    factor space

    A space obtained from another by identification of points that are equivalent to one another in some equivalence relation.

  2. 02

    waste of space

    An utterly worthless person; one who, as it were, is unworthy of the space which they occupy.

  3. 03

    watch this space

    An indication that a development will follow.

Last updated August 10, 2026