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to zone out
01
to become mentally absent, distracted, or unresponsive
Slang
Grammatical Information
Composition
phrasal
State verb
Regular
Inseparable
Particle
out
Base verb
zone
Present tense
zone out
3rd person singular
zones out
Present participle
zoning out
Past simple
zoned out
Past participle
zoned out
What does "to zone out" mean in slang?
The phrase "to zone out" means to stop paying attention to one's surroundings or task, often becoming mentally detached or distracted. The structure is informal slang where "zone" refers to a mental state, and "out" indicates disengagement. It is commonly used in everyday speech to describe momentary lapses in focus or daydreaming.
Examples
Sorry, I was zoning out during your story.
