like it's going out of style

English

WOTD – 23 September 2021

Etymology

A reference to someone engaging in an activity intensely, as if afraid that it will become unavailable or unpopular before they can get the most out of it.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌlaɪk ɪts ˈɡəʊɪŋ aʊt əv ˈstaɪl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌlaɪk ɪts ˈɡoʊɪŋ aʊt əv ˈstaɪl/

• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -aɪl
• Hyphenation: like it's go‧ing out of style

Prepositional phrase

like it's going out of style

1. (simile, informal) Of engaging in an activity: enthusiastically; to an excessive degree.

   Synonyms: as if there were no tomorrow, like crazy, like it's going out of fashion, like nobody's business, like water

   Jason has been drinking like it’s going out of style.

   to spend money like it’s going out of style

Alternative forms

• as if it had been going out of style
• as if it is going out of style
• as if it's going out of style
• as if it was going out of style
• as if it were going out of style
• like it is going out of style
• like it were going out of style

Translations

enthusiastically; to an excessive degree — see enthusiastically

Further reading

• “like it's going out of style, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.