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Synonyms

outset

American  
[out-set] / ˈaʊtˌsɛt /

noun

  1. the beginning or start.

    I wanted to explain the situation at the outset.

  2. outsert.

outset British  
/ ˈaʊtˌsɛt /

noun

  1. a start; beginning (esp in the phrase from ( or at ) the outset )

"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
outset Idioms  

  1. see at the outset.

Etymology

Origin of outset

First recorded in 1530–40; out- + set

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Vocabulary lists containing outset

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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.

Founded in downtown San Francisco in 2022, Outset created an AI interviewer so researchers could quickly gather feedback from more people to better understand customer needs and improve products.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

At a bus stop on 16th Street, an ad from AI startup Outset struck a positive tone: “Listen to humans. Don’t replace them.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

The company that would become Outset Medical started in 2010; it launched commercially in 2018, when Tablo entered hospitals and clinics.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2022

Startups including Quanta, France’s Physidia and California-based Outset Medical, are working on user-friendly dialysis machines for home use.

From Reuters • Mar. 4, 2019

Disasters in the Outset of the Voyage, with Occurrences till leaving Saldanha Bay.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 08 by Kerr, Robert

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.