outback

American  

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

noun

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

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of outback

First recorded in 1875–80; out + back ²

Example Sentences

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

Police say they launched the largest search in the history of South Australia when four-year-old Gus Lamont was reported missing in late September from his family's Oak Park Station in the outback north of Adelaide.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

A backpacker who survived nearly two weeks lost in Western Australia's outback has said she is "simply beyond grateful to have survived".

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

It feels like a slice of Americana in New South Wales perhaps - but that would miss the point that here, rodeo has become very much an outback Australian tradition in its own right.

From BBC • May 1, 2025

But not only was it too cold for most life, it was also too dry, with an annual rain and snowfall of only two inches per year—the same as that of the Australian outback.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• wilderness