go out

British  

verb

1. to depart from a room, house, country, etc

2. to cease to illuminate, burn, or function

   the fire has gone out

3. to cease to be fashionable or popular

   that style went out ages ago!

4. to become unconscious or fall asleep

   she went out like a light

5. (of a broadcast) to be transmitted

6. to go to entertainments, social functions, etc

7. to associate (with a person of the opposite sex) regularly; date

8. (of workers) to begin to strike

9. (foll by to) to be extended (to)

   our sympathy went out to her on the death of her sister

10. cards to get rid of the last card, token, etc, in one's hand

11. to make a great effort to achieve or obtain something

    he went all out to pass the exam

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go out Idioms  

1. Be extinguished, as in All the lights went out . [c. 1400]

2. Die; also, faint. For example, I want to go out before I become senile , or At the sight of blood he went out like a light . The first usage dates from about 1700 and was at first put go out of the world . For the variant, see under out cold .

3. Take part in social life outside the home, as in We go out a lot during the holiday season . This usage dates from the second half of the 1700s and gave rise to go out with someone , meaning “to date someone.”

4. Stop working, as in To show their support of the auto workers, the steel workers went out too . This expression is short for go out on strike . [Late 1800s]

5. Become unfashionable, as in Bell-bottom pants went out in the 1970s but made a comeback in the 1990s. This usage is sometimes amplified to go out of fashion or go out of style , as in This kind of film has gone out of fashion , or These boots are going out of style . [Late 1400s]

6. Cease to function as before. This sense appears in go out of print , said of a book that will no longer be printed. Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with go out .

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Example Sentences

“Obviously, you hate to see somebody go out of business, but with Spirit out of business, I think that helps that environment,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

“Just trying to go out there and keep getting comfortable,” Thiero said of his summer league goals.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2026

I think we’ve all had those difficult bosses, where you go out with colleagues and spend all of lunch talking about them.

From Salon • Jul. 5, 2026

"I didn't feel myself at all, I didn't look myself in the slightest, I didn't want to go out," she said.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

‘Look, leave it with me. You two go out and play with the others before you miss them completely. I’ll sort it. She’ll never know anyone was here.’

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• depart
• exit
• walk out