Outing
/ˈaʊtɪŋ/
Definitions
2 meaningsA short trip or excursion, typically for pleasure.
/ˈaʊtɪŋ/
A short pleasure trip
The school organized a field trip to the museum as a class outing.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're super bored, and your friends say, "Let's have a picnic!" That picnic is an outing! It's a fun, short trip to do something enjoyable.
👶 For kids: Going outside for fun, like a trip to the zoo or a picnic!
More Examples
The family planned a day outing to the amusement park.
Despite the rain, we enjoyed the outdoor outing.
How It's Used
"We went on a family outing to the park."
"The company organized a team-building outing to the beach."
The act of revealing someone's sexual orientation or other private information without their consent.
/ˈaʊtɪŋ/
The act of publicly revealing someone's sexual orientation or other private information
The journalist was criticized for outing a celebrity.
💡 Simply: Imagine you know a secret about your friend, and someone tells everyone without their permission. That's like outing someone, which can be a bad thing because it's private.
👶 For kids: Telling a secret about someone that they don't want everyone to know.
More Examples
Outing someone can have serious consequences.
She was worried about the possibility of being publicly outed.
How It's Used
"The practice of outing someone can have serious repercussions."
"The legality of outing someone is often debated."
Idioms & expressions
family outing
An outing with family members.
"We had a fun family outing at the zoo."
day outing
An outing lasting for one day.
"They planned a day outing to the beach."
From the verb 'out' (meaning to reveal or expose) + '-ing' (forming a noun from a verb). The meaning developed from the act of going out, to the specific act of revealing something.
Historically, 'outing' in its first definition appeared in the 18th century. The second definition, referring to the disclosure of private information, is a more recent development, mainly emerging with social media and increased public awareness of LGBTQ+ rights and privacy.
Memory tip
Think of an 'outing' as going 'out' for fun.