outback

[noun out-bak; adjective, adverb out-bak]Australian

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR outback ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter) the back country or remote settlements; the bush (usually preceded by the).

adjective

of, relating to, or located in the back country: outback settlements.

adverb

in or to the back country: They moved outback many years ago.

Origin of outback

First recorded in 1875–80; out + back²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for outback

wilderness, country, bush, remote, rural

Examples from the Web for outback

Contemporary Examples of outback

His big break came in 1992 when an aging cardinal plucked him from his outback and persuaded the Vatican to make him a bishop.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF
Jason Berry
December 21, 2014
The couple will leave George in Canberra to travel to Uluru, or Ayers Rock, in the Outback.
Kate, William and George’s Tour of Australasia, Key Dates
Tom Sykes
March 20, 2014
She was cast into the limelight as a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback in 2001.
Jenny McCarthy Vs. Elisabeth Hasselbeck: How ‘The View’ Hosts Compare
Rachel Osman
July 16, 2013
In the wake of this news, 10 tidbits on the dogs who roam the outback.
Pets or Predators? 10 Things About Australia’s Famous Dog, the Dingo
Meredith Kaufman
June 13, 2012
Dingoes are unique to Australia and can be found in the outback.
Pets or Predators? 10 Things About Australia’s Famous Dog, the Dingo
Meredith Kaufman
June 13, 2012

Historical Examples of outback

I can imagine some stockman in the outback taking umbrage at a kangaroo asserting its equality.
And Then the Town Took Off
Richard Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for outback

outback

noun

the remote bush country of Australia
(as modifier)outback life

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

Word Origin and History for outback

"back-country, interior regions of Australia," 1907, Australian English, originally an adverb, "out in the back settlements" (1878), from out + back (adv.).