out-and-out

[ out-n-out, -nd-out ]
See synonyms for out-and-out on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. complete; total; thoroughgoing: an out-and-out lie.

Origin of out-and-out

1
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325

Words Nearby out-and-out

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use out-and-out in a sentence

  • She had had a square out-and-out talk with Joe; the romance had suddenly ended; and later Larry's mother had married elsewhere.

British Dictionary definitions for out-and-out

out-and-out

adjective
  1. (prenominal) thoroughgoing; complete

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012