Meaning & use
out
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Meanings
adverb
Away from the inside, center, or a starting point; not within an enclosed space.
Grammar: Often used after verbs of movement: go out, come out, take something out.
Patterns
- go out
- come out
- take something out
- be out
She walked out of the room without saying a word.
The cat is out in the garden.
He took the keys out of his pocket.
adjectivenot comparable
No longer burning, lit, functioning, or in a game; eliminated or inactive.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, go, put: The fire is out. The team is out of the tournament.
Patterns
- be out
- go out
- put something out
The fire went out during the night.
The power is out in the whole neighborhood.
Our team is out of the competition after losing yesterday.
Common combinations
- out of
- She ran out of the building.
- go out
- We go out for dinner every Friday.
- find out
- I need to find out when the train leaves.
- out loud
- He read the letter out loud.
- out of order
- The elevator is out of order.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outside
- Focuses on being in the open air or beyond a boundary; 'out' often implies movement from inside.
- away
- Emphasizes distance from a place; 'out' emphasizes leaving an enclosed space.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: out or outside?
out vs outside
'Outside' is a position or place; 'out' often suggests movement from inside to outside. You go out, but you are outside.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase is 'out of' to show movement from inside to outside. 'Out the house' is not standard; 'out from' and 'out to' are not used in this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.