outgoing

adjective

out·​go·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ 

-ˌgȯ(-)iŋ

1

a

: going away : departing

an outgoing ship

b

: retiring or withdrawing from a place or position

the outgoing president

c

: directed to an intended recipient

outgoing mail

2

: openly friendly and responsive : extroverted

His outgoing personality made him popular at school.

outgoingness noun

Synonyms of outgoing

• social
• friendly
• hospitable
• extroverted
• gregarious
• spirited

Examples of outgoing in a Sentence

Outgoing mail goes in this box.

a salesman whose aggressively outgoing personality could sometimes be overbearing

Recent Examples on the Web

Macron's centrist movement, which lacks local grassroots support, achieved one major result in the southwestern city of Bordeaux, where its candidate Thomas Cazenave, a former minister, won over the Green party outgoing mayor. —Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026

The incident occurred just before midnight on Sunday, prompting authorities to suspend all incoming and outgoing flights and warn travelers of widespread disruptions. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026

Andre Whitehurst, 34, used his position as a clerk in south Charlotte serving Park Road zip codes 28209 and 28210 to steal incoming and outgoing checks from the mail from April 2022 to September 2024, according to court documents. —Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026

That sum smashed the club’s previous record for an outgoing fee. —Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for outgoing

• bestowing
• churchgoing
• elbowing
• fallowing
• farrowing
• foregoing
• forgoing
• ongoing
• outflowing
• outgrowing
• seagoing
• tiptoeing

Kids Definition

outgoing

adjective

out·​go·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ 

1

a

: going out : departing

outgoing tide

b

: retiring from a position

the outgoing governor

2

: being at ease and friendly when dealing with others

an outgoing person