out

out1 [ aut ] function word ***

Out can be used in the following ways:

as an adverb:

We went out into the yard.

He took out a penknife.

after the verb to be :

You were out when I called.

The house was silent and all the lights were out.

in the preposition phrase out of:

I got out of bed and went downstairs. In American English and spoken British English out itself is commonly used as a preposition, but many British people consider that this use is not correct:

I looked out the window.

1. ) when you leave a place

a ) used for saying that someone leaves their home or place of work in order to visit someone, have a meal, buy something, etc.:

Dr. Hammond is out right now can I take a message.

Why don't you take Dad out for a drink?

be/get out and about (=go to other places and meet people): Try to get out and about more make new friends.

b ) leaving a room or building:

She went out, slamming the door behind her.

Frank was just coming out of the library.

I followed him out of the door and down the stairs.

Get out! she screamed. Get out of my house.

c ) away from an area, town, or country:

Follow the main road out of Newport.

I'll be out of town for a couple of weeks.

d ) out of school/college/the hospital etc. used for saying that someone is no longer at school/in the hospital etc.:

He's out of the hospital, but he can't go back to work.

just/straight out of something (=having recently left): Teachers just out of college are most influenced by fashionable theories.

e ) not in prison anymore:

a convicted murderer who will be out again in seven or eight years' time

2. ) outside

a ) not inside a building:

The children are out in the back yard.

Is it cold out?

out there: I was standing out there in the rain.

b ) from inside a building or vehicle toward something outside:

I stood by the window, staring out into the darkness.

He stopped the car, leaned out, and called to me.

3. ) when something is removed from where it was

a ) from inside a container, hole, or space:

He opened the drawer and took out a large brown envelope.

Take that chewing gum out of your mouth.

b ) used for saying that something is removed from a place where it was attached:

When I opened the book, I saw that several pages had been torn out.

I had a tooth out this morning.

You'll have to take the four screws out, then you can remove the cover.

c ) used for stating where money is taken from:

out of: The money will all come out of my personal bank account.

One employer had taken $100,000 out of his company's pension fund.

4. ) far away

a ) used for saying that someone or something is in another place far away, especially toward the west:

Her son's gone out to California.

way out: a little town way out on the prairies

out there: I wonder if there's life out there on another planet somewhere.

b ) used for saying how far away from a place something is:

The airport is just four miles out of the city.

c ) used for saying how far away from the coast a boat is:

a yacht drifting helplessly 200 miles out in the Atlantic

5. ) when someone/something is gotten rid of

a ) used for saying that a mark is removed from the surface of something:

Notes in pencil had been rubbed out.

Ink stains will come out if you rub them with vinegar and salt.

b ) used for saying that something that you do not want is gotten rid of:

Have you thrown out yesterday's paper?

We need to root out racism in the police and army.

c ) used for saying that someone is forced to leave a group, organization, or job:

Frederick was kicked out of the military in 1998.

The union threw out 26 members who refused to join the strike.

6. ) not in the library/store used for saying that a book or video is not in a library or video store because someone has borrowed it:

We do have the book you asked for, but it's out at the moment.

7. ) available used for saying that a new product, book, record, etc. is available for people to buy:

It was back in November when the album came out.

In his latest book, out today, he tells of his experiences in the civil war.

8. ) no longer in a situation used for saying that someone is not in a bad situation anymore:

out of trouble/danger/mischief etc.: Parents will be relieved that their children are out of danger.

Stacey will be allowed to go free on condition that he stays out of trouble for a year.

a way out (=a way of escaping from a bad situation): We are facing a major crisis and there is no easy way out.

9. ) unconscious used for saying that someone is unconscious or is made unconscious:

Arthur had hit his head on a beam and knocked himself out.

I must have been out for twenty minutes before I recovered consciousness.

10. ) not fashionable used for saying that something is not fashionable anymore:

Nylon shirts went out years ago.

This year pink is definitely out.

11. ) no longer in a competition used for saying that someone is not allowed to continue taking part in a competition or series of games, especially because they have been defeated:

If we don't win this afternoon's game, we'll be out of the championships.

Australia was knocked out when England scored a last-minute goal in the quarter final of the tournament.

12. ) not burning or not shining

1

a ) no longer burning:

No wonder it's cold in here you let the fire go out.

1

b ) used for saying that lights have been switched off:

The children were in bed and the lights were out.

13. ) not wanted or not possible INFORMAL if a particular idea, suggestion, or activity is out, it is not possible or it cannot be accepted.:

I've hurt my back, so gardening is out as far as I'm concerned.

Anything that costs more than $3,000 is out.

14. ) when there is none of something left

1

a ) with none of something left:

out of: We're out of toilet paper.

run out of something (=use all of something so that there is none left): a driver who had run out of gas

I'm running out of ideas can you suggest anything?

1

b ) run out/sell out if a supply of something runs out/sells out, there is none left:

The first edition of the book sold out within 24 hours.

Supplies of uranium will have run out by the end of the decade.

15. ) with a loud clear sound used for saying that a sound or voice is loud and clear:

Church bells rang out across the land.

Someone called out to me from an upstairs window.

out loud: Don't whisper, say it out loud so we can all hear.

16. ) able to be seen

1

a ) if the sun or moon is out, it is not behind clouds:

The rain stopped and the sun came out.

1

b ) if flowers are out, they have opened:

on a spring evening when the tulips are out

17. ) when the ocean is low if the TIDE is out, the ocean is at a lower level:

Now that the tide was out, we could walk across the sands.

18. ) known to everyone if information is out, it becomes publicly known:

At last her secret was out and, of course, there would be a scandal.

The exam results aren't out yet.

So the news has leaked out already, has it?

19. ) when part of your back is in pain used for saying that the bones in your back have moved and it is very painful:

Dad threw his back out moving the sofa.

20. ) when a machine is not working used for saying that a machine or a piece of electrical equipment is not working:

The copy machine is out again.

21. ) to a number of different people used for saying that you give or send things to a number of different people:

Have you sent out the invitations yet?

22. ) no longer batting if a player or team is out during a game of baseball or CRICKET, they are not BATTING anymore

23. ) no longer ruling a country used for saying that a political party or leader no longer controls the government of a country:

Many people voted Republican just to keep the Democrats out.

secret efforts to force the President out of power

24. ) having stopped work MAINLY BRITISH used for saying that workers are on STRIKE (=have stopped work in order to protest)

25. ) not correct BRITISH used for saying that a number, calculation, or measurement is not correct:

The planners were out in their calculations by about two million pounds.

before the day/week/month/year etc. is out MAINLY LITERARY

before a day/week/month/year etc. has ended:

We planned to meet again before the month was out.

be out to do something/be out for something

to be aiming to do something or get something:

These are dangerous men, and they are out for revenge.

The company is simply out to make larger profits.

one out of ten/99 out of 100 etc.

used for saying how large a part of a group or number you are talking about:

Only one out of ten graduates goes into the teaching profession.

out of interest/respect/pity etc.

because of a particular feeling or attitude:

It was agreed that alcohol should not be served, out of respect for Muslim customs.

I went along to watch the ceremony, more out of curiosity than anything else.

out of it INFORMAL

1. ) not conscious of what is happening, especially because you are drunk or have taken drugs

2. ) unhappy because you cannot take part in a group or activity:

Being the only non-golfer present, I felt really out of it.

out of wood/metal/plastic etc.

used for saying what kind of material was used for making something:

a figure of a dancer carved out of black wood

They had constructed a simple shelter out of bamboo and palm leaves.

out with it SPOKEN

used for telling someone to say what they have been unwilling or unable to say:

Come on, what's the problem? Out with it!

out

out 2 [ aut ] adjective

a gay person who is out has told other people that they are gay:

an out lesbian politician

out to: Are you out to your parents?

out

out 3 [ aut ] verb transitive usually passive

1. ) to make it publicly known that someone is gay:

a gay schoolteacher who was outed on national television by one of his former students

2. ) to make an unpleasant or embarrassing fact about someone publicly known

out

out 4 [ aut ] noun singular

an excuse that is used in order to avoid having to do something or in order to avoid being blamed:

They're trying to find an out so that they don't have to pay for the damage.