Out
/aʊt/
Definitions
3 meaningsAway from or to the outside.
/aʊt/
Moving or appearing away from a place, especially a building or room.
Let's go out for dinner tonight.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're inside a cozy house. 'Out' means you're leaving the house and going somewhere else, like to play in the park or visit a friend. It's like saying 'Bye, house!'
👶 For kids: Going away from a place.
More Examples
The cat is out of the bag.
The sun is out.
How It's Used
"She went out to buy groceries."
"We're planning to eat out tonight."
No longer functioning or available.
/aʊt/
Not operating or working.
The lights are out.
💡 Simply: Imagine your phone is suddenly not working, or a light bulb has stopped shining. 'Out' means it's not working anymore.
👶 For kids: Not working or not on.
More Examples
The team is out of the tournament.
The printer is currently out of ink.
How It's Used
"The power is out in the building."
"He was called out for a foul."
To make known information, especially in a way that is unwelcome.
/aʊt/
To reveal something, especially a secret.
He outed himself as gay.
💡 Simply: Imagine you have a secret, and someone tells everyone, even though you didn't want them to. 'Out' means to tell a secret or reveal something.
👶 For kids: To tell someone something secret.
More Examples
The newspaper outed the politician's secret affair.
The spy was outed by his own colleagues.
How It's Used
"The magazine outed the celebrity."
"She outed herself to her friends."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
out of sight, out of mind
If you do not see something, you will forget about it.
"She moved away and, as they say, out of sight, out of mind."
out and about
Active; going to different places.
"She's finally out and about after her illness."
to be out of the woods
To no longer be in danger or difficulty.
"The company isn't out of the woods yet, but things are improving."
From Old English *ūt*, from Proto-Germanic *ūt-*, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁údʰ-*. Related to Latin *extra* and Greek *ἔξω* (exō).
Used extensively in Old English to denote the direction away from a place.