out
adverb, preposition /aʊt/
/aʊt/
For the special uses of out in phrasal verbs, look at the entries for the verbs. For example burst out is in the phrasal verb section at burst.Idioms - away from the inside of a place or thing
- She ran out into the corridor.
- She shook the bag and some coins fell out.
- out of something I got out of bed.
- He opened the box and out jumped a frog.
- Out you go! (= used to order somebody to leave a room)
- (informal) He ran out the door.
- (of people) away from or not at home or their place of work
- I called Liz but she was out.
- Let's go out this evening (= for example to a restaurant or club).
- We haven't had a night out for weeks.
- out of something Mr Green is out of town this week.
- I got an out of office reply to my email.
- outside; not in a building
- It's cold out.
- There were children playing out in the street.
- used to show that something/somebody is removed from a place, job, etc.
- This detergent is good for getting stains out.
- We want this government out.
- out of something He got thrown out of the restaurant.
- away from the edge of a place
- The boy dashed out into the road.
- out of something Don't lean out of the window.
- out of something/somebody used to show where something comes from
- He drank his beer out of the bottle.
- a romance straight out of a fairy tale
- I paid for the damage out of my savings.
- We'll get the truth out of her.
- out of something used to show what something is made from
- a statue made out of bronze
- out of something used to show that somebody/something does not have any of something
- We're out of milk.
- He's been out of work for six months.
- You're out of luck—she left ten minutes ago.
- out of something used to show that somebody/something is not or no longer in a particular state or condition
- Try and stay out of trouble.
- I watched the car until it was out of sight.
- out (of something) used to show that somebody is no longer involved in something
- It was an awful job and I'm glad to be out of it.
- He gets out of the army in a few weeks.
- They'll be out (= of prison) on bail in no time.
- Brown goes on to the semi-finals but Lee is out.
- out of something from a particular number or set
- You scored six out of ten.
- Two out of three people think the President should resign.
- clearly and loudly so that people can hear
- to call/cry/shout out
- Read it out loud.
- Nobody spoke out in his defence.
- out (of something) a long or a particular distance away from a place or from land
- She's working out in Australia.
- He lives right out in the country.
- The boats are all out at sea.
- The ship sank ten miles out of Stockholm.
- available to everyone; known to everyone
- When does her new book come out?
- Word always gets out (= people find out about things) no matter how careful you are.
- Out with it! (= say what you know)
- out of something used to show the reason why something is done
- I asked out of curiosity.
- She did it out of spite.
- (of a book, etc.) not in the library; borrowed by somebody else
- The book you wanted is out on loan.
- (of the tide) at or towards its lowest point on land
- I like walking on the wet sand when the tide is out.
- if the sun, moon or stars are or come out, they can be seen from the earth and are not hidden by clouds
- (of flowers) fully open
- There should be some snowdrops out by now.
- (in cricket, baseball, etc.) if a team or team member is out, it is no longer their turn with the bat
- The West Indies were all out for 364 (= after scoring 364 runs in cricket).
- (in games) if a player is out, they can no longer take part in the game
- If you have no more cards, you are out. The winner is the one with the most cards.
- (in tennis, etc.) if the ball is out, it landed outside the line
- The umpire said the ball was out.
- The ball landed out.
- out (in something) not correct or exact; wrong
- I was slightly out in my calculations.
- Your guess was a long way out (= completely wrong).
- The estimate was out by more than $100.
- not possible or not allowed
- Swimming is out until the weather gets warmer.
- not fashionable
- Black is out this year.
- (of fire, lights or burning materials) not or no longer burning or lit
- Suddenly all the lights went out.
- The fire had burnt itself out.
- at an end
- It was summer and school was out.
- She was to regret her words before the day was out.
- unconscious
- He was out for more than an hour and came round in the hospital.
- She was knocked out cold.
- (British English, informal) on strike
- The dockers stayed out for several months.
- to the end; completely
- Hear me out before you say anything.
- We left them to fight it out (= settle a disagreement by fighting or arguing).
Word OriginOld English ūt (adverb), ūtian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch uit and German aus.
Idioms
be out for something/to do something
- to be trying to get or do something
- I'm not out for revenge.
- She's out for what she can get (= trying to get something for herself).
- The company is out to capture the Canadian market.
in and out (of something)
- going regularly to a place
- He was in and out of jail for most of his life.
out and about
- able to go outside again after an illness
- travelling around a place
- We've been out and about talking to people all over the country.
out of here
- (informal) going or leaving
- As soon as I get my money I'm out of here!
out of it (informal)
- sad because you are not included in something
- We've only just moved here so we feel a little out of it.
- not aware of what is happening, usually because of drinking too much alcohol, or taking drugs
- He looks completely out of it.