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 In The Tourist, Jamie Dornan portrays a man who wakes up in a hospital in the Australian outback with no memory. Dana Feldman, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The cabin is fashionably draped in a choice of two-tone Windsor leathers; or animal-free textiles that recall technical fabrics favored by Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, appropriate for the opera house or rugged outback. Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024 Many such animals are considered invasive: pigs in Hawaii and the American South; horses and burros in the American Southwest; goats on the Galápagos Islands; horses, donkeys, and camels in the Australian outback. Emma Marris, The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 2024 The massive rock formation known as Uluru undergoes a dramatic transformation each night when the sun sets over the Australian outback. Melissa Locker, Travel + Leisure, 17 Dec. 2023 Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star in this six-episode series about an Englishwoman struggling to protect her ranch in the Australian outback with the help of a rugged cattleman. Melissa Kirsch Andrew Lavallee Melissa Clark, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2023 Two young women with backpacks make their way down a deserted road toward a remote pub in the Australian outback, where they have been contracted to work for a few weeks. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023 Until very recently, the unique phenomena have only been described in the vast Namib desert and the Australian outback. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 27 Sep. 2023 The first episode gives us Dornan driving across the Australian outback when he’s suddenly being chased by a truck. Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2023

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 29 Mar. 2024.

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