outing

noun out·ing \ ˈau̇-tiŋ \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of outing

1 : a brief usually outdoor pleasure trip

2 : an athletic competition or race; also : an appearance therein

3 : a usually public presentation or appearance (as in a particular role)

her first outing as a novelist

4 : the public disclosure of the covert homosexuality of a prominent person especially by homosexual activists

See outing defined for English-language learners

See outing defined for kids

Recent Examples of outing from the Web

The Burbank Chamber of Commerce will host its 40th annual golf outing Aug. 3 at Gleneagles Country Club, 13070 McCarthy Road, Lemont.

— staff report, Daily Southtown, "Sports calendar," 10 July 2018
As an amputee who plays with one hand, Griffin’s dominant outing against Auburn in the Peach Bowl and his amazing performance at the NFL Scouting Combine made him one of the most notable stories of the NFL offseason.

— mike bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Steve Spurrier: If Shaquem Griffin somehow gets cut by Seahawks, he'll be first draft pick of Orlando's new pro football team," 10 July 2018
Keuchel earned his sixth win with another excellent outing.

— hunter atkins, Houston Chronicle, "Marwin Gonzalez's squeeze bunt helps Astros fend off White Sox," 9 July 2018
Each outpost has an ambassador responsible for at least one outing a month for local members.

— lizzie stokes, San Antonio Express-News, "New San Antonio group leads members on women-only adventures," 9 July 2018
Next: Cora on Rodriguez's start in win Your video will play in: 5 seconds Cora on Rodriguez's start in win TEX@BOS: Cora discusses Rodriguez's outing, 5-0 win Play Video | 01:13 Your video will resume shortly.

— jeff wilson, star-telegram, "Rangers continue to talk trades, but are they getting anywhere?," 9 July 2018
The boys and their coach were trapped in the cave by flash floods after a post-match outing.

— jake maxwell watts, WSJ, "Divers Rescue Four More Boys From Thai Cave, Bringing Total to Eight," 9 July 2018
For this year’s outing, the team isn’t looking to set any records.

— jack stewart, WIRED, "A Racing Robocar Takes On England's Swankiest Track," 7 July 2018
Brill, who was drafted last year by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Appalachian State, went 4-1 with six saves and a 2.93 ERA over 23 outings with the Cougars.

— paul johnson, Naperville Sun, "Thrills for Brill: Cougars closer Matt Brill caps strong first half with promotion to advanced Class A Visalia," 4 July 2018

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

First Known Use of outing

1821

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

outing Synonyms

Synonyms

excursion, jaunt, junket, ramble, sally, spin;

Related Words

journey, travel(s), voyage;

circuit, tour;

expedition, odyssey, safari;

detour;

hike, peregrination, trek, walk;

pilgrimage;

OUTING Defined for English Language Learners

outing

noun

Definition of outing for English Language Learners

: a brief trip that people take for fun usually as a group
: a time when an athlete (such as a baseball pitcher) competes in a game or contest
: an act of telling the public that a person is homosexual when that person does not want the public to know