outlet

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A way of letting out feelings, energy or talent that would otherwise stay bottled up.

   Grammar: Followed by for: an outlet for creativity.

   Patterns

   • an outlet for something
   • find an outlet

   Running became an outlet for her stress.

   Painting gave the boy an outlet for his anger.

   Teenagers need a healthy outlet for their energy.

2. 2nouncountableAmerican

   A socket in a wall or device where an electrical plug can be inserted.

   Grammar: Mainly American English; in British English this is usually a socket.

   Patterns

   • plug something into an outlet

   Plug the lamp into the outlet by the bed.

   The room has only one outlet, so we need a power strip.

   He found an empty outlet in the airport lounge and charged his phone.

3. 3nouncountablebusiness

   A shop or business through which goods are sold, often a factory store selling at lower prices.

   Grammar: Often used with retail or factory: a retail outlet.

   Patterns

   • a retail outlet
   • an outlet store

   We bought the shoes at an outlet store for half the price.

   The chain opened a new retail outlet downtown.

   Fast food outlets crowded the main road.

4. 4nouncountable

   A pipe, opening or channel through which water, gas or air can flow out.

   Grammar: Used with of: the outlet of the lake.

   Patterns

   • the outlet of something
   • an outlet for something

   The river's outlet to the sea was blocked by sand.

   Water drained through an outlet at the bottom of the tank.

   A small outlet in the roof lets steam escape.

5. 5nouncountable

   A newspaper, broadcaster or website that publishes news.

   Grammar: Usually appears in the phrase news outlet or media outlet.

   Patterns

   • a news outlet
   • a media outlet

   Several news outlets reported the story within minutes.

   The paper is a respected media outlet in the region.

   The group was criticized by one local outlet.

Word forms

Common combinations

creative outlet

Writing songs is her creative outlet.

electrical outlet

Don't overload the electrical outlet with too many plugs.

retail outlet

The company runs two hundred retail outlets.

news outlet

The news outlet corrected its report.

outlet store

We found a winter coat at the outlet store.

outlet for energy

Football gives him an outlet for his energy.

Synonyms and how they differ

release

Release usually means the act of letting something out, while outlet is the channel or activity used for it.

socket

Socket is the usual British word for a wall power point, whereas outlet is more common in American English.

vent

Vent is a small opening for air or gas and is also used for letting feelings out, but it sounds more forceful.

shop

Shop is the general word for a store, whereas outlet suggests a branch of a chain or a factory store.

Opposites

Word family

outlay noun

money spent on something

inlet noun

a channel for letting something in

let out verb

to release something

Commonly confused: outlet or inlet? outlet or outlay?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “outlet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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