outback

American  

[out-bak, out-bak] / ˈaʊtˌbæk, ˈaʊtˈbæk /

noun

• outbacks
  plural

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) Usually the outback the back country or remote settlements; the bush.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or located in the back country.

   outback settlements.

adverb

1. in or to the back country.

   They moved outback many years ago.

outback British  

/ ˈaʊtˌbæk /

noun

1. 1. the remote bush country of Australia

   2. ( as modifier )

      outback life

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outbacks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outback

First recorded in 1875–80; out + back ²

Explanation

In Australia, the outback is the remote, rural region where far more animals than humans live. If you travel to the outback, you may see kangaroos, dingoes, and emus. Some people think of the outback as a vast, dusty, red desert, but it actually contains many different ecosystems, including savannahs, mountain ranges, and woodlands. Although it makes up the majority of Australia's land mass (about 80 percent), the outback is sparsely populated. Indigenous Australians have lived in this part of the country for at least 50,000 years. Outback was coined in the late 19th century from the phrase "out in the back country."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outback outbacks

Camels in the outback compete with stock for food, destroy fences, foul waterholes and damage Indigenous cultural sites, authorities say.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

The discovery began when Aaron Bean, a professional horticulturalist who was helping band birds on a large outback property in Queensland, noticed an unusual plant growing in the landscape.

From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026

As I step out into this next phase of life, I do sometimes find myself missing the chaos of Hanoi or the wide-open spaces of the Australian outback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

The day before, the state of New South Wales had reported its hottest day in over a century, a high of 44.8C in the outback town of Bourke.

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

Karl had topped his outfit with his outback hat, the same one he’d used to cover Sasha the day Sasha was burned.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

He’s read the great classics as well — Chaucer, for example — and is amused that people living in rural outbacks didn’t spend their college years in Middle English seminars.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 2, 2015

Several trouble spots remain, but hundreds of families are returning to their lands in seven newly declared zones of "total pacification" in the outbacks.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• wilderness