adv.
- moving away from a place, especially from one that is enclosed to one that is open.
▸outdoors.
▸no longer in prison.
- situated far or at a particular distance from somewhere:
![]()
a farm out in the middle of nowhere.
▸to sea, away from the land.
▸(of the tide) falling or at its lowest level.
▸at a specified distance away from the goal or a finishing line.
- in a public place for pleasure or entertainment.
- so as to be revealed, heard, or known.
- at or to an end.
▸so as to be finished.
- (of a light or fire) so as to be extinguished or no longer burning.
prep.
non-standard contraction of
out of.
adj.
- not at home or one's place of work.
- made public; revealed.
▸published.
▸informal in existence or use.
▸open about one's homosexuality.
- no longer existing.
▸no longer in fashion.
- not possible or worth considering.
- unconscious.
- mistaken:
![]()
he was slightly out in his calculations.
- (of the ball in tennis, squash, etc.) outside the playing area.
- Cricket & Baseball no longer batting.
- (of a flower) open.
n.
- informal a way of escaping from a difficult situation.
- Baseball an act of putting a player out.
v.
- informal reveal the homosexuality of.
- knock out.
- dated expel or dismiss.
Phrase
- at outs
(N. Amer. on the outs)
in dispute. - out and about
engaging in normal activity after an illness. - out for
intent on having. - out of
- from (a place or source).
- not having (something).
- out of it
informal - not included.
- unaware of what is happening.
▸Brit. drunk.
- out to do something
keenly striving to do something. - out with it
say what you are thinking.
Usage
The use of out rather than out of as a preposition, as in he threw it out the window, is common in informal contexts, but is not widely accepted in standard British English.
Etymology
OE ūt (adv.), ūtian (v.), of Gmc origin.
