Idiom idiom
zombie out
Meaning
To become listless, vacant, or unresponsive.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I like to zombie out in front of the television after work.”
“After a long week of studying for exams, I just want to zombie out on the couch all weekend.”
“Exhausted by the relentless pace of the city, he would often zombie out during his commute, staring blankly at the passing scenery until his stop arrived.”
Origin
first recorded 20th c.
first recorded 20th c.
First attested in 1981, the phrasal verb is formed from the noun *zombie* and the particle *out*. The term followed the earlier appearance of the related adjective *zombied-out*, which entered the lexicon in 1976.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026