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Synonyms

on the outs

Idioms  

  1. No longer on friendly terms, as in They've been on the outs with their in-laws for years. This idiom appeared in the early 1900s and derives from the synonymous at outs, first recorded in 1824.

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.

This may put him on the outs with his colleagues in the academy, but it has made for a riveting and richly illuminating book.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

And she’s on the outs with her friends.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2025

At least a few people inside the Beltway have read the story, as Politico reports that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz might be on the outs for his role in cobbling together the group chat.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2025

Wheeler looked to be on the outs in Winnipeg for some time.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023

My aunt and cousins would be there whenever she was on the outs with Dinky.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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.