go out

verb

went out; gone out; going out; goes out

intransitive verb

1

a

: to go forth, abroad, or outdoors

specifically : to leave one's house

b(1)

: to take the field as a soldier

(2)

: to participate as a principal in a duel

c

: to travel as or as if a colonist or immigrant

d

: to work away from home

2

a

: to come to an end

b

: to give up office : resign

c

: to become obsolete or unfashionable

d(1)

: to play the last card of one's hand

(2)

: to reach or exceed the total number of points required for game in cards

e

: to bring a performance to a close

The band went out with a solid rendition of another Allmans classic …

—Joel Silverstein

3

a

: to take part in social activities

made plans to go out for drinks

b

: to date someone romantically

They've been going out for about six months.

4

: to go on strike

5

: break, collapse

6

: to become a candidate

went out for the football team

Phrases

go out with a bang

: to die, end, or finish in a thrilling, forceful, or impressive way

Game of Thrones is known for its impressive production value, so it is understandable why HBO would want to go out with a bang, making the final episodes the biggest television has ever seen.

—Emily Murray

Synonyms

• collapse
• go
• cave (in)

Examples of go out in a Sentence

there was concern that the dam would go out under the force of the flood waters

she enjoys going out on weekends, but during the week she's a homebody

Recent Examples on the Web

Trudeau-style left-leaning Canadian cultural nationalism had gone out of style. —Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025

For going out to dinner, sightseeing, and everything in between, this blouse will surely be a go-to. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2025

The fabric, which went out of production in 1991, has now been rechristened and modernized as one of three Knoll archival reissues introduced this fall. —Catherine Hong, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2025

About 4,100 layoff notices have gone out, some sent to work email addresses that furloughed employees are not allowed to check. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for go out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

go out

verb

1

: to leave one's home

2

: to stop working

3

: to stop burning or glowing

4

: to become a candidate

went out for the football team

5

: to become obsolete or unfashionable

6

: to engage in social activities