outgoing

adjective out·go·ing \ ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ , -ˌgȯ(-)iŋ \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of outgoing

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

See outgoing defined for English-language learners

See outgoing defined for kids

Examples of outgoing in a Sentence

Outgoing mail goes in this box.
a salesman whose aggressively outgoing personality could sometimes be overbearing

Recent Examples of outgoing from the Web

So a more retiring co-parent certainly can be, say, the homework explainer and behind-the-scenes calendar keeper while the more outgoing parent takes meetings and makes phone calls – absolutely.

— carolyn hax, Detroit Free Press, "Husband’s discomfort with confrontation doesn’t bode well for his parenting," 15 May 2018
To continue reading this story, TRY IT NOW Nonetheless, on April 24, less than two months after Amato’s blood was forcibly drawn, outgoing Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood’s office dismissed Amato’s DWI charge.

— brian chasnoff, San Antonio Express-News, "Prominent S.A. businesswoman with ties to Spurs, LaHood had DWI charge dismissed by DA office," 11 May 2018
DeWine is likely to benefit, somewhat paradoxically, from both Trump's strength in the state and the popularity of the outgoing governor, John Kasich, a Republican who ran against Trump in 2016 and is one of the president's most insistent critics.

— author: jonathan martin, alexander burns, Anchorage Daily News, "Party mavericks rebuffed at the polls in primary elections," 9 May 2018
DeWine is likely to benefit, somewhat paradoxically, from both Trump’s strength in the state and the popularity of the outgoing governor, John Kasich, a Republican who ran against Trump in 2016 and is one of the president’s most insistent critics.

— jonathan martin and alexander burns, BostonGlobe.com, "Richard Cordray defeats Dennis Kucinich in Ohio Democratic primary," 9 May 2018
The outgoing radiation emerges from just outside the boundary of the hole and carries no information about the interior.

— george musser, Scientific American, "What Is Spacetime?," 8 May 2018
Those who knew him in Salisbury were shocked, describing him as friendly and outgoing — hardly a man hiding out.

— Time, "21 People Sought Medical Attention After Former Russian Spy Was Poisoned," 9 Mar. 2018
Those who knew him in Salisbury were shocked, describing him as friendly and outgoing — hardly a man hiding out.

— chicagotribune.com, "British police: 21 people sought treatment after ex-Russian spy poisoning," 8 Mar. 2018
And that, with a speaker of the Texas House deciding not to seek re-election, the factions within that majority Republican Party would be vying for supremacy now — the better to control who succeeds the outgoing speaker.

— ross ramsey, star-telegram, "Texans won’t have to wait for November to know who’s winning | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 6 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outgoing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of outgoing

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

outgoing Synonyms

OUTGOING Defined for English Language Learners

outgoing

adjective

Definition of outgoing for English Language Learners

—used to describe someone who is friendly and likes being with and talking to other people
: going away : leaving a place
: leaving a particular position