outgoing

1 of 2

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

outgoing

2 of 2

present participle of outgo entry 1

Synonyms of outgoing

Adjective

• social
• friendly
• hospitable
• extroverted
• gregarious
• spirited

Examples of outgoing in a Sentence

Adjective

Outgoing mail goes in this box.

a salesman whose aggressively outgoing personality could sometimes be overbearing

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Warner’s outgoing chief executive Zaslav will leave with a golden parachute valued at about $887 million, which includes cash, stock and options valued at more than $550 million, according to regulatory filings. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors’ 4th District race pits outgoing State Board of Equalization member Ted Gaines against first-time candidate Gina Posey. — Haley Parsley october 2, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

One positive sample was from a tank that held outgoing wastewater from a processing facility, the agency said. — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Upon closing, Ellison and outgoing Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz will serve as co-CEOs. — Sara Salinas,sarah Whitten, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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