outside

1 of 4

noun

out·​side ˌau̇t-ˈsīd 

ˈau̇t-ˌsīd

1

a

: a place or region beyond an enclosure or boundary: such as

(1)

: the world beyond the confines of an institution (such as a prison)

(2)

often capitalized in Alaska : the world beyond the territory or state of Alaska

especially : the 48 contiguous states

b

: the area farthest from a specified point of reference: such as

(1)

: the side of home plate farthest from the batter

(2)

: the part of a playing area toward the sidelines

(3)

: the part of a playing area away from the goal

2

: an outer side or surface

3

: an outer manifestation : appearance

4

: the extreme limit of a guess : maximum

the crowd numbered 10,000 at the outside

outside

2 of 4

adjective

1

a

: of, relating to, or being on or toward the outer side or surface

the outside edge

b

: of, relating to, or being on or toward the outer side of a curve or turn

c

: of, relating to, or being on or near the outside

an outside pitch

2

a

: situated or performed outside a particular place

b

: connected with or giving access to the outside

outside telephone line

3

: maximum

4

a

: not included or originating in a particular group or organization

blamed the riot on outside agitators

b

: not belonging to one's regular occupation or duties

outside interests

5

: barely possible : remote

an outside chance

6

: made or done from the outside

borrowed a basketball and practiced his outside shot

outside

3 of 4

adverb

1

: on or to the outside

2

: outdoors

outside

4 of 4

preposition

1

—used as a function word to indicate movement to or position on the outer side of

2

: beyond the limits of

outside the scope of this report

outside the law

3

: except

Synonyms

Noun

• exterior
• face
• shell
• skin
• surface
• veneer

Adjective

• exterior
• external
• outer
• outward

Adverb

• alfresco
• out
• outdoors

Preposition

• apart from
• aside from
• bar
• barring
• beside
• besides
• but
• except
• excepting
• except for
• excluding
• exclusive of
• other than
• outside of
• save
• saving

Examples of outside in a Sentence

Noun

The house looks nice from the outside.

painted the outside of the house

Adjective

the outside edge of the foot

She turned on the outside light to see what was making the noise.

The phone will not let you make outside calls.

The company hired an outside consultant.

a businessman with few outside interests besides golf

There were outside influences that affected his decision to retire early.

Adverb

The children love playing outside.

It's nice outside, with not a cloud in the sky.

He ran outside to see what the noise was about.

He looked outside at the snow.

The candy was hard outside but chewy inside.

The car seemed in good condition outside.

Preposition

We waited outside the store.

He kept his hands outside his pockets.

There was a dog barking outside the house.

She finished the race five seconds outside the record.

We live outside the city.

I have never traveled outside the U.S. before.

No one outside the group knew of their plans.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bronze made an appearance next alongside his mom and sister in a second video as the trio snacked on snow cones while sitting on a bench outside. —Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024

Herro’s return adds scoring and outside shooting to a Heat rotation that needs his offensive skill set during its late-season push to avoid the NBA’s play-in tournament. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024

Despite the February slush outside, bouquets of orange ranunculus adorned the tables. —Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024

Hoist the Gold broke on top with National Treasure setting up on his outside. —John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2024

Southwest’s 11 outside board members (not including the company’s current and former chief executives or the directors elected this year) received average compensation of nearly $300,000 each in cash and stock grants last year. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023

The country singer's wife Katelyn, 31, shared an adorable photo of her family of four on her Instagram on Wednesday, posing with Kane, 30, and their two kids on a bench outside. —Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2023

As part of the settlement with FinCEN, Binance has 30 days to submit a proposal identifying at least three candidates to act as its outside monitor, who will ensure the exchange makes prescribed compliance changes. —Mengqi Sun, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2023

Israeli officials counted at least 260 bodies near the site of the Nova festival, outside Re’im, where earlier footage showed carefree partygoers from Israel and overseas dancing in the desert soon after sunrise on Saturday. —Paul P. Murphy, CNN, 9 Oct. 2023

Adjective

Now, McMahon – who remains the largest outside shareholder in the company – is taking another step toward a more complete break from the sports entertainment firm. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024

Last year, Rhodes came up short after Reigns capitalized on outside interference from his real-life cousins, and wrestling faction the Bloodline, for help. —Shaheem Reid, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024

But Tesla’s problems can’t all be blamed on outside factors. —Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024

Details of the new plan have come into focus in recent months as the Education Department brought its ideas to a panel of outside negotiators with an interest in higher education, ranging from students to loan servicers. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024

Several workers, including people for and against unionizing, described attending meetings days later, led by an outside consultant, Raul Calvo, who has built a business advising farm companies on how to avoid unionization. —Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024

The report also advised having authorizers review charter audits and relationships with outside controlling organizations for possible conflicts of interest and inappropriate levels of influence. —Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024

Three new outside directors were also appointed at the meeting: Park Jeong-mi, Jeon Seong-won and Lee Dong-woo. —Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 2 Apr. 2024

No outside alcohol or coolers -- only alcoholic beverages purchased from restaurants and bars within the Argenta Outdoor Dining District will be allowed. —Eric E. Harrison, arkansasonline.com, 27 Mar. 2024

Adverb

Here are suggestions for staying safe during a thunderstorm: • To minimize risk of being struck by lightning, when going outside, have a plan to get to a safer place. —Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024

Her husband, Willie Lucas, along with some of the hospital staff, peered at the eclipse outside, while Ashley caught a glimpse from the window. —Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024

The eclipse's peak will mean something different for cities within the path of totality and for those outside. —Sarah Maddox, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024

Style it in a lace fabric or perhaps a breathable cotton fabric if the wedding is outside. —Essence, 9 Apr. 2024

Student Grace Wheeler said her professor encouraged students to get outside and see the eclipse. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024

There are about six tables to sit inside, but most people, like myself, like to sit outside to breathe in this taco shop culture. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024

The lawsuit, which was withdrawn after the agreement was made, stated that prison officials announced that inmates would not be allowed outside to view the eclipse and that the facility would be operating on a holiday schedule that day, NBC reported. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024

Rooms have been refreshed with modern, soothing tones of turquoise and cream, which seem to reflect the beach and Arabian Gulf right outside. —Michele Robson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Preposition

The reforms contain lots of other controversial measures, including sending money outside the bloc to encourage other countries to stop migration into the EU and the possibility of offshoring processing. —Luke McGee, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024

In the past, Trump has chosen to appear at some court proceedings he wasn't required to attend, often holding press conferences with reporters outside the courtrooms. —Nik Popli, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024

Reed’s death has once again reignited debate and anger over police brutality and excessive use of force in the United States, prompting protests outside a Chicago police station this week, with activists, residents and family members calling for justice. —Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

When Kirill arrived outside the Phanar, a crowd of Ukrainian protesters had already gathered around the compound’s beige stone walls. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024

Another incident outside Zabana a year before also resulted in a man's death. —Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024

There was little room for the tens of thousands of employees working outside the U.S. Montañez: What's your advice for leaders who want to create effective diversity hiring programs? —Rachel Montañez, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Biden said concerns over the riot reverberated outside the U.S., with foreign leaders questioning the stability of the U.S. democracy. —Colleen Long, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024

Police located Grant outside the trailer, with blood still on him, according to the court documents. —The Arizona Republic, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing outside

• at the outside
• beyond/outside the bounds of possibility
• exterior/outside door
• on the outside
• outside chance
• outside interest
• outside of
• outside the door
• outside the law
• outside the range/realm of possibility
• outside the realm of the possible
• outside voice
• the outside
• the outside world
• think outside the box
• work outside the home

Kids Definition

outside

1 of 4 noun

out·​side (ˈ)au̇t-ˈsīd 

ˈau̇t-ˌsīd

1

: a place or region beyond an enclosure or boundary

2

: an outer side or surface

3

: the extreme limit of a guess : most

the crowd numbered 10,000 at the outside

outside

2 of 4 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or being on the outside

the outside edge

2

: connected with or leading to the outside

an outside door

3

: coming from outside

outside influences

4

: barely possible : remote

an outside chance

outside

3 of 4 adverb

: on or to the outside

waited outside in the hall

especially : outdoors entry 1

took the dog outside

outside

4 of 4 preposition

1

: on or to the outside of

outside the house

2

: beyond the limits of

outside the law

3

: except entry 1 sense 2, besides

nobody outside a few close friends