outside the box
English · Thesaurus
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
outside the box
Where it comes from
Unclear. Attested since 1971 (see quotations) with allusion to the nine dots puzzle, where one needs to draw lines outside the perimeter of its nine dots. Earlier related phrases include go outside the dots (1956), step outside the box (1969), and think outside the dots (1970).
phrase
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Beyond the bounds of convention or normal practice.
The boss wants some new ideas—it's time to think outside the box.
Similar: laterally, out of the box, outside of the box
Translations
Every language
prep_phrase beyond convention
| 日本語 | 箱の外 hako no soto |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 跳出框架 |
| Português | fora da caixa, fora da caixinha |
| Français | hors des sentiers battus, en dehors des clous, en dehors de la boite |
| Deutsch | um die Ecke denken, quer denken |
| Italiano | fuori dagli schemi |
| Română | gândi în afara cutiei |
| Русский | нестанда́ртно nestandártno |
Talk about this word "outside the box." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/outside%20the%20box. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. outside the box. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/outside%20the%20box "outside the box." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/outside%20the%20box.Cite this
@misc{outside_the_box_2026,
title = {outside the box},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/outside%20the%20box},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
