outback

noun

out·​back ˈau̇t-ˈbak How to pronounce outback (audio)
-ˌbak
: isolated rural country especially of Australia

Examples of outback in a Sentence

people who live in the Australian outback tend to be self-sufficient
Recent Examples on the Web When the idea was initially conceived, under a full moon in Australia’s outback, the pair had planned to meet and get married in the middle. Stephy Chung, CNN, 9 Oct. 2024 The night parrot—a brilliantly colored, nocturnal bird—once thrived in Australia’s outback. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Sep. 2024 Almost all Australians live on the coast: the entire outback is home to less than five per cent of the population. Helen Sullivan, The New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2024 Unlike the frequent road crossings of the Appalachian Trail, PCT hikers spend their first month in the hot, dry, and surprisingly remote outback of Southern California. Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for outback 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of outback was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near outback

Cite this Entry

“Outback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outback. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on outback

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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