Adjective
- Alternative spelling of out of whack.
Usage notes
- The hyphenated spelling of out of whack is generally for attributive and prepositive uses (old out-of-whack machines); the unhyphenated spelling occurs more frequently in predicative usage (machines are out of whack).
Adjective
(comparative more out of whack, superlative most out of whack)
- (idiomatic) Wrong, broken; specifically:
- Not in proper balance; unbalanced.
- our priorities have gotten out of whack
- Not in proper alignment.
- the floor is so out of whack that the door hits it when opened
- Not working or operating properly.
- banged up left knee is out of whack
- Not in proper balance; unbalanced.
Usage notes
- The unhyphenated spelling is usually used predicatively, and the hyphenated spelling usually occurs when the phrase appears before the word it modifies.
