outgoing

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

Synonyms of outgoing

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

Examples of outgoing in a Sentence

Outgoing mail goes in this box.

a salesman whose aggressively outgoing personality could sometimes be overbearing

Recent Examples on the Web

The central bank voted 10-2 Wednesday to keep rates steady, and outgoing Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated there was broad support for that stance among voting and non-voting members on the Federal Open Market Committee. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026

Clark ran as a reformer in 2019, aiming to replace outgoing mayor Eric Kellogg, who had been prevented from running for reelection by term limits. —Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the country’s outgoing Prime Minister, suspended his bid for a second term in office earlier this month, clearing the field for al-Maliki to step into the role. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Jan. 2026

During the ceremony, Barron was seen smiling and clapping alongside Elon Musk, animatedly talking with Jeff Bezos and greeting outgoing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. —Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for outgoing

• bestowing
• churchgoing
• elbowing
• fallowing
• farrowing
• foregoing
• forgoing
• ongoing
• outflowing
• outgrowing
• seagoing
• tiptoeing

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