Meaning & use
family outing
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A short trip or activity that a family does together for enjoyment, typically lasting less than a day.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a' or 'an' with the singular, and 'family outings' for more than one.
Patterns
- go on a family outing
- a family outing to somewhere
- a family outing for something
We went on a family outing to the zoo last weekend.
The children look forward to our monthly family outing.
A family outing to the beach can be a cheap way to spend a sunny day.
nouncountable
An organized trip or event for several families, often arranged by a school, church, or community group.
Grammar: Often used with 'organize' or 'hold' when talking about events.
Patterns
- organize a family outing
- a family outing for the whole community
The church organized a family outing to the countryside.
Our school holds a family outing every spring.
Word forms
| plural | family outings |
|---|
Common combinations
- go on a family outing
- We went on a family outing to the lake.
- a family outing to
- They took a family outing to the mountains.
- organize a family outing
- The parents organized a family outing for the weekend.
- a fun family outing
- It was a fun family outing for everyone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- family trip
- Similar, but 'family trip' can be longer and may involve travel to another place, while 'family outing' is usually shorter and local.
- excursion
- More formal and often used for group trips, not specifically for families.
- day out
- British English, informal; emphasizes a day spent away from home, not necessarily with family.
Commonly confused: family outing or family outing?
family outing vs family outing
Not to be confused with 'family outing' as a verb; it is only a noun.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'family outing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase is 'go on a family outing to a place'. Option 2 is missing 'on', option 3 is missing 'on' and 'a', and option 4 is missing 'a' before 'family outing'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “family outing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.