outlet

noun out·let \ ˈau̇t-ˌlet , -lət \

Definition of outlet

1 a :a place or opening through which something is let out :exit, vent

b :a means of release or satisfaction for an emotion or impulse

sexual outlets

c :a medium of expression or publication

d :a publication or broadcast organization

media outlets

2 :a stream flowing out of a lake or pond

3 a :a market for a commodity

b :an agency (such as a store) through which a product is marketed

retail outlets

4 :a receptacle for the plug of an electrical device

See outlet defined for English-language learners

See outlet defined for kids

Examples of outlet in a Sentence

this road is the only outlet for traffic coming from the racetrack
technology has provided many new outlets for amateur writers and artists to share their work with a global audience

Recent Examples of outlet from the Web

Watching early television Monday in Chicago, the disjoint was manifested in local television outlets whose total local audience far outpaces the three major news channels (just one show, the WGN Morning News, beats them all easily).

— The Hive, "How Silicon Valley Has Changed Hurricane Coverage," 28 Aug. 2017
But her words, which went viral after they were also published by Louisville's alternative LEO Weekly, have been quoted and shared by right-wing outlets including Breitbart, The Blaze and The Daily Wire.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Black Lives Matter-Louisville leader gets death threats after piece addressing white people," 25 Aug. 2017
But more often than not, hate is picked up from peers, increasingly from social media and other outlets on the internet.

— dahleen glanton, chicagotribune.com, "How the seeds of hate are sown," 24 Aug. 2017
In light of this concern, the FDA visited several retail outlets in the Washington, D.C. metro area and bought and tested a variety of cosmetic products containing talc across a wide range of prices for a study that ran from 2009 to 2010.

— Health.com, "Can Using Baby Powder Down There Really Cause Cancer?," 22 Aug. 2017
And as reported by mostly all news outlets, the only rule for viewing the eclipse was to not look directly at the sun.

— sydney scott, Essence.com, "Of Course Trump Stared Directly At The Sun During The Solar Eclipse," 21 Aug. 2017
The store at 7212 W. Benton Dr. was one of only a few retail outlets devoted to selling Avon products.

— bob bong, Daily Southtown, "New sports bar and grill opens in Tinley Park," 18 Aug. 2017
Vice News, to the outlet's immense credit, was on the ground to document the events in Charlottesville this weekend.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "This Vice News Documentary from Charlottesville Is Horrifying," 15 Aug. 2017
On July 19, a surgeon in Dallas removed a small piece of rib from near Karns’ right shoulder as part of a procedure to address thoracic outlet syndrome, a neurogenic condition caused by the compression of nerves near the neck and shoulder.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Doctor gives Royals pitcher Nathan Karns a surgery souvenir: A piece of his rib," 7 Aug. 2017

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