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

The outgoing governor faced backlash from his own party for the decision. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 30 June 2026

However, outgoing Prime Minister Starmer later clarified that pubs would be allowed to stay open longer. — Ali Rampling, New York Times, 2 July 2026

Johnston’s not the only outgoing member within the county administrator’s office. — Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2026

All three occurred in Charlotte since May, only about a year after the city faced questions over a secretive settlement with its outgoing police chief and the fallout from a heavily politicized murder on public transit. — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for outgoing

• blowing
• boing
• bowing
• crowing
• flowing
• glowing
• going
• growing
• hoeing
• knowing
• lowing
• rowing

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