outing

play

noun out·ing \ˈau̇-tiŋ\

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

Recent Examples of outing from the Web

The Wildcats got a strong outing from SEC pitcher of the year Sean Hjelle, who allowed three runs or less for the eighth time in nine starts.

— eric olson, The Seattle Times, "SEC teams start 5-0 in NCAA regionals; Big Ten struggles", 2 June 2017
It was deGrom’s worst outing since May 3, and came as a surprise given his recent form.

— wallace matthews, New York Times, "Mets’ Pitchers Were on a Roll. Their Ace Brings It to a Halt.", 1 June 2017
After a rough outing in his last Petco Park appearance (3 IP, 8 ER), the 24-year-old Perdomo turned in his fifth quality start of the season Friday in Washington.

— jeff sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "First pitch: Padres seeking first sweep of season", 31 May 2017
Beyond the important issues Macron’s tackling, his body language drew the most public attention on his summit outings.

— Washington Post, "Newcomer Macron makes France’s mark, with Trump and globally", 28 May 2017
He wasn't supposed to be available after back-to-back outings, and the RailCats started considering position players to pitch if the game continued much longer.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "On the Fritze: Valparaiso product Ryan Fritze earns relief role with RailCats", 26 May 2017
Getting no-hit by three Arkansas pitchers and run-ruled by the Hogs in a 12-0 dismissal weren't exactly confidence-builders, either, but one of the worst outings by any team in tournament history could've been worse.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "Auburn can look on the bright side after ugly SEC Tournament exit", 26 May 2017
For this particular outing, Johnson sent a shoutout on social media; the first 200 to reply were in.

— miamiherald, "Chad Ochocinco invites 200 of his closest friends to the movies", 26 May 2017
The outing brought Giolito’s record to 2-5 with a 5.44 ERA.

— colleen kane, chicagotribune.com, "White Sox prospect Lucas Giolito throws 7-inning no-hitter", 25 May 2017

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.

1821

First Known Use of outing

1821

OUTING Defined for English Language Learners

outing

play

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