Meaning & use
a day out
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
a trip or outing for pleasure that lasts a day, often with family or friends.
Grammar: Countable: a day out, two days out. Often used with 'have' or 'go on'.
Patterns
- have a day out
- go on a day out
- a day out at somewhere
We had a lovely day out at the zoo.
They went on a day out to the seaside.
Word forms
| plural | days out |
|---|
Common combinations
- a family day out
- The museum is a great family day out.
- a day out at the beach
- We planned a day out at the beach for Saturday.
- go on a day out
- The children love going on a day out to the countryside.
- a day out in the city
- She treated her mother to a day out in the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
- day trip
- Day trip is the usual American term and is also used in British English; it focuses on the journey itself.
- outing
- An outing is a short trip away from home, often organized for a group; it can be shorter than a day out.
- excursion
- Excursion is more formal and often refers to an organized group trip, sometimes for study or sightseeing.
Word family
Commonly confused: a day out or day off? a day out or night out?
a day out vs day off
A day off is a day when you do not work; a day out is a trip for pleasure. They are different ideas.
a day out vs night out
A night out is an evening of entertainment; a day out happens during the day.
Practice
We're planning a ______ to the mountains next weekend.
Choose one answer.
'A day out' means a pleasure trip for a day. 'A day off' means a free day from work, 'a day in' means staying at home, and 'day by day' means gradually.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a day out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.