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• 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.

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Outward Bound ² American  

noun

1. a play (1923) by Sutton Vane.

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Outward Bound British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of outward-bound

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

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

No conflicts for Tiler Peck’s incisive Sanguinic: She was all full-throttle, outward-bound momentum.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2018

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

This duty of escorting outward-bound ships increased considerably the strain on our destroyer force.

From The Victory At Sea by Hendrick, Burton J.