space out

Meanings

1. 1phraseintransitiveinformal

   To stop paying attention and let your mind drift, without noticing what is happening around you.

   Grammar: No object: I spaced out during the lecture.

   Patterns

   • space out in class
   • space out for a moment

   Sorry, I spaced out and missed what you said.

   He tends to space out during long meetings.

   She spaced out for a second and missed her stop.

2. 2phrasetransitive

   To arrange things with gaps between them, in place or in time.

   Grammar: Takes an object: space the chairs out, space out the payments.

   Patterns

   • space something out
   • space out something

   We spaced out the chairs so everyone had room.

   You should space out your visits to the dentist.

   The teacher spaced out the tests over the term.

Word forms

Common combinations

space out in class

Students often space out in the last lesson of the day.

space out the payments

The bank agreed to space out the payments.

space out the plants

Space out the plants about a foot apart.

totally spaced out

I was totally spaced out after the long drive.

space out the deadlines

The manager spaced out the deadlines across the month.

Synonyms and how they differ

zone out

Is almost the same as the first sense and equally informal, with a slight idea of switching off completely.

daydream

Suggests pleasant imaginative thoughts, whereas space out is simply not noticing.

stagger

Is used for arranging times or positions in a pattern, and is closer to the second sense.

Opposites

Word family

space noun

an empty area or gap

spaced-out adjective

dreamy, not paying attention

spacing noun

the distance between things

spacey adjective

vague or absent-minded, informal

Commonly confused: space out or zone out?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “space out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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