Meaning & use
day outing
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Meanings
nouncountable
a short trip taken for pleasure or a specific purpose that begins and ends on the same day.
Grammar: Countable: a day outing, two day outings. Often used with 'go on' or 'organize'.
Patterns
- go on a day outing
- organize a day outing
- a day outing to somewhere
The class went on a day outing to the science museum.
We planned a day outing to the coast, leaving after breakfast and returning before dinner.
The company organizes a day outing for employees every spring.
nouncountable
an occasion when a group leaves home for a few hours of shared activity and comes back the same day.
Grammar: Often used in the plural for repeated events: summer day outings for children.
Patterns
- a family day outing
- summer day outings
The community center runs day outings for older residents.
Our family day outing included a picnic and a short walk by the lake.
She packed sandwiches for the day outing.
Word forms
| plural | day outings |
|---|
Common combinations
- go on a day outing
- They went on a day outing to the mountains.
- organize a day outing
- The teacher organized a day outing for the whole class.
- a family day outing
- A family day outing to the zoo can be tiring but fun.
- a day outing to
- We took a day outing to a nearby castle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- day trip
- This is the more common and slightly more neutral term for the same idea; 'day outing' often suggests a group or organized activity.
- excursion
- This sounds more formal and is often used for organized group travel, such as a school excursion.
- outing
- This can be shorter or longer than a day, and it sometimes refers to a special occasion rather than a simple trip.
Opposites
Word family
- outing noun
- a short trip or occasion away from home
- day out noun
- a British phrase for a day spent away from home for pleasure
Commonly confused: day outing or day out?
day outing vs day out
'Day out' is a British expression meaning a pleasurable day away from home; 'day outing' is a countable noun for the organized trip itself.
Practice
The school arranged a day ______ to the history museum for the younger students.
Choose one answer.
'A day outing' is the correct singular countable phrase. 'Out' alone is an adverb, 'outing out' repeats the idea, and 'outings' is plural, which does not fit after 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “day outing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.