outsider

noun out·sid·er \ ˌau̇t-ˈsī-dər , ˈau̇t-ˌsī- \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Examples: outsider in a Sentence

Definition of outsider

1 : a person who does not belong to a particular group

2 chiefly British : a contender not expected to win

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outsiderness

noun

See outsider defined for English-language learners

See outsider defined for kids

Examples of outsider in a Sentence

To outsiders, the ritual may seem strange.
She felt like an outsider in her new school.
An outsider defeated the champion!
She was a rank outsider who managed to win.

Recent Examples of outsider from the Web

Having always lived in a small town, Piper said the experience of being the outsider having to make friends was new and daunting.

— taylor seely, USA TODAY, "MOM FRIENDS | Part 1: Why is it so hard to make and keep friendships with other parents?," 29 June 2018
Former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin is the top outsider the Sixers are expected to consider.

— keith pompey, Philly.com, "Brett Brown says the 76ers don't need to look far for a GM," 22 June 2018
Nicholson is running as the outsider in the race and brands Vukmir as a career politician.

— Washington Post, "Gun by her side, GOP US Senate candidate talks of threats," 18 June 2018
To the outsider, there wasn’t real rock and roll in Russia: Everything had to go through the state or had to be approved by sensors and the KGB.

— don maines, Houston Chronicle, "Teen had to choose: Disney trip or key role in ‘Mockingbird’ production," 15 June 2018
Considering Spain and Portugal are the other teams in Group B, the match in St. Petersburg was regarded as a must-win game for the two outsiders.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Own goal earns Iran a win over Morocco," 15 June 2018
In Wiltshire, the story was turned around on the outsiders who were spreading those tales.

— alan ashe, CNN, "It's National Moonshine Day. We answer your questions," 7 June 2018
Nearly 80 percent of ballots were cast for the political outsider and celebrity.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Crowd cheers when valedictorian quotes Trump. Then reveals it was Obama," 3 June 2018
Then there’s the political outsider Tommy Ahlquist, a former physician and wealthy real estate developer from Boise.

— vox staff, Vox, "Idaho primary elections 2018: 3 Republicans battle in a heated governor’s race," 15 May 2018

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

First Known Use of outsider

1800

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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outsider Synonyms

OUTSIDER Defined for English Language Learners

outsider

noun

Definition of outsider for English Language Learners

: a person who does not belong to or is not accepted as part of a particular group or organization
: a person or animal that is not expected to win a race or competition