outgoing

adjective

out·​go·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ 

-ˌgȯ(-)iŋ

1

a

: going away : departing

an outgoing ship

b

: retiring or withdrawing from a place or position

the outgoing president

c

: directed to an intended recipient

outgoing mail

2

: openly friendly and responsive : extroverted

His outgoing personality made him popular at school.

outgoingness noun

Synonyms

• social
• friendly
• hospitable
• extroverted

Examples of outgoing in a Sentence

Outgoing mail goes in this box.

a salesman whose aggressively outgoing personality could sometimes be overbearing

Recent Examples on the Web

Voters in early November will decide who of the two will replace outgoing Mayor Tyrone Garner and be the second woman to lead the Unified Government. —Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025

Conservative members of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party are reportedly worried that the party’s resigned leader and country’s outgoing Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, may come close to issuing the most ardent apology for Japan’s actions in World War II. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025

The significant performance gains compared to the outgoing SF90 Stradale have not resulted in any weight gain. —Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

The other three outgoing cast members all made bittersweet social media posts about moving on from the show. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for outgoing

• bestowing
• churchgoing
• elbowing
• fallowing
• farrowing
• foregoing
• forgoing
• ongoing
• outflowing
• outgrowing
• seagoing
• tiptoeing

Kids Definition

outgoing

adjective

out·​go·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ 

1

a

: going out : departing

outgoing tide

b

: retiring from a position

the outgoing governor

2

: being at ease and friendly when dealing with others

an outgoing person