space out
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle out
Meanings
Lose focus and start daydreaming
Why “out”? Awareness is like a lamp. For a time the light is gone: a person faints, or attention and memory fade.
“Sorry, I spaced out for a minute.”
“She spaced out in the middle of the meeting.”
Test yourself
“Sorry, I spaced out for a minute.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
black out
Same out pattern: losing awareness
Lose consciousness briefly
blank out
Same out pattern: losing awareness
Suddenly fail to remember or think of something
knock out
Same out pattern: losing awareness
Hit someone unconscious
pass out
Same out pattern: losing awareness
Distribute around a group; Lose consciousness
tune out
Same out pattern: losing awareness
Stop paying attention to a sound, message, or event
zone out
Same out pattern: losing awareness
Stop paying attention because you are tired or distracted
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