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Synonyms

outing

American  
[ou-ting] / ˈaʊ tɪŋ /

noun

  1. a pleasure trip, excursion, picnic, or the like.

    the annual outing for the senior class.
    Synonyms:
    jaunt

  2. a public appearance, as by a participant in an athletic contest or event.

    The new player scored spectacularly in his second outing with the team.

  3. the intentional exposure of a person’s denied or secret identity, orientation, or status, especially gay sexual orientation or transgender identity.

outing British  
/ ˈaʊtɪŋ /

noun

  1. a short outward and return journey; trip; excursion

  2. informal the naming by homosexuals of other prominent homosexuals, often against their will

"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

Etymology

Origin of outing

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; out, -ing 1

Explanation

An outing is a short trip, especially one that takes no longer than a day. For example, you might ask your pal if he'd like to go on an outing to the zoo. A summer outing might be a picnic or a day at the beach, while a winter outing could consist of a hike in the snow or a shopping trip and lunch at a restaurant. Any brief, fun journey can be called an outing. In the fourteenth century, an outing was simply the "action of going out," and in the fifteenth century it started to mean "act of putting out" as well. By the 1800s it had gained today's definition.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“We got no problem here, Houston,” Shearn said of a third outing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

During the outing, he entered the sea twice to swim.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

In a story in “Ladies’ Lunch,” an old woman, disheveled after an outing, looks in a mirror and sees “what Diane Arbus might have seen. She gazed, appalled, and being appalled pricked her interest.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

As part of the cruise line’s Savor My Catch program, this sustainable outing, anything caught is cleaned and prepared by the ship’s chefs for dinner that night.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

I’m not proud of it—I don’t normally speak to people in that manner, and especially women—but damned if I was going to let some busybody do-gooder foil my outing.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.