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Meaning & use

out of the picture

phrase·Advancedinformal

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UK/aʊt əv ðə ˈpɪktʃə/
US/aʊt əv ðə ˈpɪktʃər/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiominformal

    No longer involved in a situation, relationship or competition, so that the person no longer matters in it.

    Grammar: Follows a verb like be, leave or drop: he is out of the picture.

    Patterns

    • be out of the picture
    • leave someone out of the picture

    Her ex has been out of the picture for years.

    After the injury, he was out of the picture for the title race.

    Once the new owner arrived, the old manager was quickly out of the picture.

  2. phraseidiominformal

    Not part of the details someone needs to understand a situation, usually because it is not known or mentioned.

    Grammar: Often used in the form leave someone out of the picture.

    Patterns

    • keep someone out of the picture
    • leave something out of the picture

    I left the budget out of the picture, so my plan looked easy.

    They kept the neighbors out of the picture until the sale was final.

    If you leave the weather out of the picture, the trip was a success.

Common combinations

drop out of the picture
Several candidates dropped out of the picture after the first debate.
leave out of the picture
Don't leave the cost out of the picture when you plan.
completely out of the picture
His old business partner is completely out of the picture now.
fall out of the picture
Without funding, the project fell out of the picture.

Synonyms and how they differ

out of the running
Out of the running only fits competitions, while out of the picture can describe relationships and plans too.
gone
Gone simply says someone left, whereas out of the picture also says they no longer matter to the situation.
sidelined
Sidelined suggests being pushed aside by others, a more active image than out of the picture.

Opposites

in the picture

Word family

in the picture phrase
involved or informed
picture noun
an image, or the general situation
put someone in the picture phrase
to tell someone the details

Commonly confused: out of the picture or out of the frame?

out of the picture vs out of the frame

Out of the frame is a close British variant meaning no longer a suspect or candidate.

Practice

Choose the best meaning of out of the picture in this sentence. After the merger, the founder was soon out of the picture.

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