out
/aʊt
/adverb
1Moving or appearing to move away from a particular place, especially one that is enclosed or hidden: he walked out into the street watch the stars come out...
- Then at midnight people just appeared out on the street with bubbly, singing Auld Lang Syne.
- Fortunately I was able to move the car out, enabling me to get mother and her wheelchair into the car.
- I stand up, a little bit more carefully than usual, and walk extra-steadily out to the car.
1.1Situated or operating in the open air, away from buildings: the search-and-rescue team have been out looking for you...
- I can tell when people are smoking nearby and I'm out in the open air and it just puts my back up.
- Despite her exhaustion, she quickened her pace, eager to be out in the open air.
- In a canoe and out in the open air there is plenty of fun to be had shooting the weirs and riding the waves.
1.2No longer detained in prison: they would be out on bail in no time...
- The judge imposed 12-month sentences for each of the three offences, to run concurrently, and said Hunter could be out in six months.
- The 24 year-old is out on bail pending a court appearance on Monday.
- By the time he gets out in eight years, he'll be what? Thirty-three?
2Situated far or at a particular distance from somewhere: an old farmhouse right out in the middle of nowhere they lived eight miles out of town a cold front hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic...
- About two miles out from the pub, I developed another slow puncture in my rear tyre.
- Half a mile out from the bay we cut the engine and raised the two sails.
- Thirty yards out from the town goal on the grass embankment was where our group could be found.
2.1To sea, away from the land: the Persian fleet put out from Cyprus...
- Still, better to be safe and on dry land than to be out at sea in the middle of all that chaos.
- To obtain a complete overview of the ship, we swim along the main mast out to the open water.
- A pair of longtail water taxis ferry divers, kit and the last of the supplies out to the mooring.
2.2(Of the tide) falling or at its lowest level: the tide was going out...
- He and his son had plunged from the bridge when the tide was out and fallen on to mud.
- We often think of tides flowing in and out, but this is the effect of the water levels changing.
- If the tide is out, there are usually half a dozen seals sleeping on the rocks, and we just sit there and watch.
2.3Indicating a specified distance away from the goal line or finishing line: he scored from 70 metres out...
- They were awarded a penalty for offside 10 yards out and Horne scored his fourth try.
- Van Straaten converted again but then added a phenomenal penalty from 60 metres out.
- Five minutes later, York were awarded a penalty 25 metres out in front of the posts.
3Away from home: he’s gone out
3.1In or to a public place for purposes of pleasure or entertainment: an evening out at a restaurant...
- Young Continentals see drinking as an accessory to an evening out, not its main purpose.
- The youth had been out for the evening with friends and had taken the N285 night bus home.
- Mr Doyle went home, but his wife had gone out for the evening, so he went to a telephone box and called an ambulance.
4So as to be revealed or known: find out what you can...
- He only found out about the romance a few days before the alleged murder on July 24 this year.
- Upon returning home I found out that snowball fights can be pretty tiring.
- He has played a key role in growing the business by looking out for opportunities.
4.1Aloud; so as to be heard: Miss Beard cried out in horror...
- She told how she heard her daughter cry out as she was attacked and robbed of her mobile phone.
- He later told his older sister that he heard his friend cry out after the explosion.
- Nobody in the group heard her cry out and they were not aware she had fallen until they reached a gate and looked back.
5At or to an end: the romance fizzled out...
- They had a brief romance, which fizzled out when he joined the Royal Navy.
- Negotiations between them fizzled out when the boxers failed to agree on a suitable weight.
- Our direct interest in proceedings had fizzled out the day before, of course.
5.1So as to be finished or complete: I’ll leave them to fight it out I typed out the poem...
- The horse dropped back after the second last, leaving the other two to fight out a memorable finish.
- In turn, the bigger clubs will fight it out for places in the premium-level Champions league.
- Today, the winners of the different categories will also fight it out for the honour of being Best in Show.
5.2In various other completive uses: the crowd had thinned out he crossed out a word...
- The weather is still glorious, the crowds have thinned out and prices have tumbled.
- Some of the time the crowd drown him out completely, and he stalks the stage revelling in the adulation.
- The last words were crossed out and new wording was substituted in manuscript.
6(Of a light or fire) so as to be extinguished or no longer burning: at ten o’clock the lights went out...
- One of the bartenders grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out and the fire alarm just went crazy.
- The gas supply was turned off while they traced the leak to a pilot light that had gone out on a heater in one of the classrooms.
- We found rare hours of quiet in the woods or at night after the bars and discos had closed and most of the lights had gone out.
6.1(Of a stain or mark) no longer visible; removed: try and get the stain out...
- I managed to get the stain out with some hydrogen peroxide and a little scrubbing.
- My dress is ruined and I'll never get this stain out.
7No longer involved in a situation, competition, or activity: Oxford United are out of the FA Cup...
- If you don't get into line quickly in this competition you can be out before you've really begun.
- England's captain said he knew he had broken ribs in an earlier tackle and would be out for a month.
- I was out for six months with an ankle injury.
8(Of a jury) considering its verdict in secrecy.
preposition
Non-standard contraction of out of: he ran out the door...
- He grabbed his keys and ran out the door.
- He spent his lunch hours staring out the window, wishing he could be working outside on the farm.
- Just before I could walk out the door he caught me by the arm.
adjective [predicative]
1Not at home or at one’s place of work: if he called, she’d pretend to be out...
- Sorry, but if you're looking for my sister, she's out.
- I phoned Hari but he was out, so I left a message with his concierge.
- A few weeks later, a parcel arrived while I was out.
Synonyms
not here, not at home, not in, gone away, away, elsewhere, absent, away from one's desk
2Revealed or made public: the secret was soon out...
- Look honey, your secret's out and there's nothing you can do about it.
- The word inside the agency is that Leavitt is apparently furious that this news is out.
Synonyms
revealed, in the open, out in the open, common knowledge, public knowledge, known, disclosed, divulged, exposed
2.1Published: the book should be out before the end of the month...
- My new book is out in eight weeks.
- According to the band, they are going to New York to record and the album should be out before the end of the year.
- The new album is out next month and marks a return to U2's rock and roll roots.
Synonyms
available, obtainable, in the shops, published, in print, issued
2.2 informal In existence or use: it works as well as any system that’s out...
- Technology is still working on improving our tan and there is a new system out called Airbrush Tanning.
- To me he's the best underground producer out.
- Runaway is the best adventure game out right now.
2.3 dated (Of a young upper-class woman) introduced into society: where is the use of having a lot of dresses when she isn’t out yet?...
- She's not ‘out’ yet, she's only in the schoolroom still.
2.4Open about one’s homosexuality: I had been out since I was 17...
- I'm not out to my family, I don't want to lose any ties.
- I've been out since I was 15.
- Adam is out at work, and his colleagues know his boyfriend.
3No longer alight; extinguished: the fire was nearly out...
- The fire's out, but it's still smouldering.
- The fire was nearly out when we arrived.
- When I arrived at the dorm all the lights were out.
Synonyms
not burning, extinguished, no longer alight, quenched, doused, dead, defunct
4At an end: school was out for the summer...
- As soon as school was out, the boys and I took off.
- The temperature's going to drop another ten degrees before the week's out.
- He lists his achievements with the self-assurance of a man who will probably be a millionaire before the year's out.
4.1 informal No longer in fashion: grunge is out...
- Personally, I'm glad cowboy boots are out.
- Celebrity stylist Luke O'Connor proclaimed ‘big hair and extensions are out’.
- Yes it's true, straight hair is out and curls are in.
Synonyms
no longer in fashion, out of fashion, unfashionable, out of style, dated, out of date, outdated, not in, behind the times;
French démodé, passé
informal old hat, not with it
5Not possible or worth considering: a trip to the seaside is out for a start...
- We've already done a movie, so that's out.
- The pool registers a seriously chilly 38 degrees, so swimming is out.
6In a state of unconsciousness.He's been out since I settled him on the couch. He'll be unconscious for a while yet....
- You were out cold for five minutes.
- He said he was knocked unconscious and thought he had been out for about two hours.
6.1 Boxing Unable to rise from the floor.
7Mistaken; in error: he was slightly out in his calculations...
- Maureen could be relied on to get the scores totted up in double quick time and was never out in her calculations.
- How could an organisation with a previously excellent record of financial management be shown to be so far out in its calculations?
- The NRA's preliminary cost for the project was out by 46 percent.
Synonyms
mistaken, inaccurate, incorrect, wide of the mark, wrong, in error, off
8(Of the ball in tennis and similar games) outside the designated playing area.Clijsters refused to comment when asked whether Henin-Hardenne might have influenced the umpire by indicating that the ball was out.
9 Cricket & Baseball No longer batting or at bat; having had one’s innings or at bat ended by the fielding side: England were all out for 159...
- Chris Taylor was out for a duck in the second over.
- Gloucestershire were all out for 347 in their first innings.
- Leiter was out at first, but Ordonez advanced to second while Jay Payton scored.
10(Of a flower) in bloom; open.June, when the poppies are out, is one of the best times to visit Umbria....
- The roses are out in our walled garden, and the sweet peas, and the apricot trees have finally got some very nice-looking fruit on them.
Synonyms
in flower, flowering, in bloom, in full bloom, blooming, in blossom, blossoming, open
noun
1 informal A way of escaping from a problem or dilemma: he was desperately looking for an out...
- These factors would give him many outs for not building a missile defense system.
- He was becoming sloppy and careless - I think he was looking for an out.
- Evans is reportedly looking for an out after spending £8m on the team.
2 Baseball An act of putting a player out.The biggest difference between them is in the number of outs that these two players have generated over the course of their careers....
- Well, if you strike out a bunch of guys and get the vast majority of the remaining outs via groundballs, you're not likely to allow too many home runs.
- Simply put, the pitcher who can give up the least percentage of flyball outs is best on track for good overall numbers.
3 (the outs) The political party not in office.The early Australian Labor Party, highly critical of the game of ins and outs in colonial politics, wanted the people to rule more directly....
- Convinced that nothing would come of the political game of ins and outs, he turned away from parliament and the political parties in his search for sources of renewal.
- This division between ins and outs had prompted a painful argument over the need to establish a forum for ministers from the ins, without causing a dangerous rupture from the outs.
verb [with object]
1Knock (someone) out.
2 informal Reveal the homosexuality of (a prominent person).I don't think there is any good argument for outing a closeted politician who supports gay rights....
- As we eventually learn, Marty could have been a contender too were it not for the fact that he was outed as gay in his youth, sending him scurrying into the closet.
- The participant was a lesbian stepmom who said, ‘My son outed me to his preschool.’
Synonyms
expose, unmask, uncover
3West Indian Extinguish: out the lamp when you’re ready
4 dated Expel, reject, or dismiss: they had outed Asquith quite easily
Usage
The use of out as a preposition (rather than the standard prepositional phrase out of), as in he threw it out the window, is common in informal contexts, and is standard in American, Australian, and New Zealand English. Traditionalists do not accept it as part of standard British English, however.
Phrases
at outs (on the outs)
be out of here (or there)
not out
out and about
out for
out of
out of it
out to do something
out with it
Origin
Old English ūt (adverb), ūtian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch uit and German aus.
closet from Late Middle English:
Although closet is now the usual word in American English for a cupboard or wardrobe, it originally referred to a small private room, such as one for study or prayer. This idea of privacy led to the sense of hiding a fact or keeping something secret, which goes right back to the beginning of the 17th century. A person who is hiding the fact that they are gay has been described as in the closet, or as a closet homosexual, since the late 1960s. To out someone, meaning to reveal that they are gay, is a shortened way of saying ‘to force them out of the closet’. Closet comes from close (Middle English), which both in the sense ‘near’ and ‘shut’ go back to Latin claudere ‘to shut’, also the source of recluse (Middle English), someone who shuts themselves away.