- present participle of outgo.
outgoing
Americanadjective
-
going out; departing.
outgoing trains.
-
leaving or retiring from a position or office.
A farewell party was given for the outgoing members of the board of directors.
-
addressed and ready for posting.
outgoing mail.
-
of or relating to food prepared for delivery or consumption off the premises.
outgoing orders at the pizza parlor.
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interested in and responsive to others; friendly; sociable.
an outgoing personality.
noun
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Chiefly British. Usually outgoings. expenses; money expended.
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the act of going out.
The ship's outgoing proved more difficult than its incoming.
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something that goes out; effluence.
an outgoing measured in kilowatt hours.
adjective
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departing; leaving
-
leaving or retiring from office
the outgoing chairman
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friendly and sociable
noun
Etymology
Origin of outgoing
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (gerund); out- + going
Explanation
The adjective outgoing describes someone with a friendly, easy personality. Your outgoing friend might not understand how hard it is for shy people to speak in front of an audience. If you're the only member of your outgoing family who is reserved, you might feel silent and invisible in their sociable midst. People who are outgoing are perfectly comfortable in social situations. A completely different meaning of outgoing describes someone who is departing, like an employee who will soon retire, or an outgoing club treasurer who isn't running for re-election.
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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.
Horton was known as the more outgoing and gregarious of the pair, but both sisters were described as being inquisitive, opinionated, fiercely loyal and competitive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Obviously, and he had some darkness in him; he came back from World War II really scarred, couldn’t really deal with it . . . but he was also a very outgoing guy.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
She called this a “display error,” where the agent sent incorrect characters in outgoing messages in “some limited scenarios.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The outgoing secretary-general, Antonio Guterres of Portugal, ends his second five-year term on December 31, 2026.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Maybe I needed security in my own way too, but I was way more outgoing than my sister.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
