think outside the box

think outside the box

Fig. to think freely, not bound by old, nonfunctional, or limiting structures, rules, or practices. (As if thinking or creativity were confined in or limited by a figurative box. Compare this with think inside the box.) You won't come up with good ideas until you think outside the box. Let's think outside the box for a minute and try to find a better solution.

See also: box, outside, think

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think outside the box

to think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional or expected ideas We try to encourage our researchers to think outside the box.

See also: box, outside, think

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think outside the box also think out of the box

to develop ideas that are different and unusual We need to think outside the box if we are going to come up with something really new. These guys are incredibly creative - they really know how to think out of the box.

Usage notes: sometimes used with verbs other than think: You need to look outside the box and see what you can come up with.

Etymology: based on the idea that limiting your thoughts is like thinking inside a box which can contain only a certain number of ideas

See also: box, outside, think