out
A1All registers
Definition
Meaning
To move from an interior or contained space to the exterior; to no longer be inside.
Used to indicate a state of not being involved, not being correct, not being in fashion, or being publicly known.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
"Out" primarily functions as an adverb, preposition, adjective, verb, and noun. Its fundamental spatial meaning extends metaphorically into concepts of disclosure (come out), exclusion (left out), completion (sold out), and existence in the public sphere (the stars are out).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minor. In sports contexts, UK uses 'knocked out' of a cup; US uses 'eliminated'. 'Out of order' in UK often means 'not working'; in US it's more specific to machines. 'Out to lunch' (being crazy/unaware) is more established in AmE.
Connotations
Largely identical. Both use 'out' in political/social sense for revealing hidden identity (e.g., outed as gay).
Frequency
Comparable core frequency. Slight variance in phrasal verb preference (e.g., 'sort out' (BrE) vs. 'figure out' (AmE) as common equivalents).
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Adverb + of + Noun Phrase (out of the house)Verb + Particle + Object (take out the rubbish/take the rubbish out)Copula + Out (He is out)Out + to-infinitive (out to get you)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “out of the blue”
- “out of hand”
- “out of sorts”
- “out on a limb”
- “out of your depth”
- “out for the count”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"We are sold out of that model." "The figures point out a clear trend."
Academic
To rule out a hypothesis. Findings set out in Chapter 3.
Everyday
"Let's eat out tonight." "I'm going out."
Technical
In computing: "The output file." In baseball: "He struck out."
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The newspaper outed the corrupt official.
- She carefully outed the last ember.
American English
- The magazine outed the celebrity's past.
- He outed himself as a whistleblower.
adverb
British English
- She ran out into the garden.
- Please put the rubbish out.
American English
- He went out to the store.
- Hang the flag out for the holiday.
adjective
British English
- The manager is out at the moment.
- That hairstyle is so out.
American English
- My arm is out of its socket.
- The secret is out.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The cat is out.
- Please go out and play.
- I am out of milk.
- It turned out to be a great party.
- Find out what time the film starts.
- She pointed out a mistake in the report.
- The new policy was rolled out across the company.
- He was completely out of his depth in the advanced class.
- We need to rule out all other possibilities first.
- The investigation brought out systemic flaws in the procedure.
- Her novel stands out for its lyrical prose.
- They were outmanoeuvred in the preliminary negotiations.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a person stepping OUT of a DOOR. The word OUT is on the outside of the door.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWING IS SEEING / PUBLIC IS OUT ('The truth came out'). COMPLETION/EXHAUSTION IS OUT ('Time ran out').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating 'out of' always as 'из'. Use 'из' for source (out of the house), but 'вне' for state (out of danger), 'без' for lack (out of sugar), and 'от' for reason (out of curiosity).
- Confusing 'he is out' (not at home) with 'он вышел' (he left).
- Overusing literal translation for phrasal verbs: 'figure out' is not 'фигура вне'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect preposition: 'out from' instead of 'out of'.
- Word order: 'Please out go' instead of 'Please go out'.
- Using as a full verb: 'He outed the house' (incorrect) vs. 'He went out of the house'.
Practice
Quiz
In the phrase 'out of luck', what does 'out of' primarily express?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, its primary meaning is spatial, but it is extensively used in metaphorical and phrasal verb contexts (e.g., 'find out', 'time out', 'out of fashion').
'Out' is more general, often implying motion from inside or a state of not being in. 'Outside' is more specifically locational, referring to the area exterior to something (e.g., 'He is outside the door').
Yes, but with specific meanings: 1) to reveal something secret (often a person's identity), 2) (archaic/poetic) to expel or extinguish.
With separable phrasal verbs, if the object is a pronoun (it, them), 'out' must follow it ('pick it up'). If the object is a long noun phrase, 'out' often comes before it ('pick out the green pieces'). With inseparable verbs, 'out' always follows the verb directly ('look out for danger').