Jump To:

• outward-bound
  outward-bound

  adjective

  headed in an outward direction, as toward foreign ports.
• Outward Bound
  Outward Bound

  noun

  a play (1923) by Sutton Vane.

outward-bound

¹ American  

[out-werd-bound] / ˈaʊt wərdˈbaʊnd /

adjective

1. headed in an outward direction, as toward foreign ports.

   We passed an outward-bound ship as we came into the harbor.

---

Outward Bound ² American  

noun

1. a play (1923) by Sutton Vane.

---

Outward Bound British  

noun

1. (in Britain) a scheme to provide adventure training for young people

---

Etymology

Origin of outward-bound

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outward-bound Outward Bound

In terms of performance, the bank scored higher net interest income, a closely-watched benchmark measuring the difference between revenue from lending and outward-bound interest payments.

From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026

Her style is cool and outward-bound; I’d love to love it.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2016

On distant seas, their dragon-prows went gleaming outward-bound ship.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2015

IT IS hard to rise to the top in business without doing an outward-bound course.

From Economist ● Oct. 2, 2014

Thy thoughts are vagabonds; all outward-bound, ’Mid sands, and rocks, and storms, to cruise for pleasure; If gain’d, dear-bought; and better miss’d than gain’d.

From Young's Night Thoughts With Life, Critical Dissertation and Explanatory Notes by Edward Young

And many people find a renewed sense of self and purpose through wilderness programs such as Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 20, 2023

In just the past few weeks, all of these entities named their first female CEOs: Outward Bound, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority, HistoryMiami Museum and many others.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2022

Klein had worked with local conservation groups like Outward Bound Adventures, Tree People and Heal the Bay, and was familiar with the L.A. park system’s many unknown or underused amphitheaters and gathering places.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2022

A coalition of Scottish outdoor organisations - including Girlguiding, The Outward Bound Trust and the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres - has warned that "more will follow and shut down permanently before Christmas".

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2020

“I swear. This guy I know told me. He was an Outward Bound guide.”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides