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Showing results for outbuilding. Search instead for outbuilds.
Synonyms

outbuilding

American  
[out-bil-ding] / ˈaʊtˌbɪl dɪŋ /

noun

  1. a detached building building subordinate to a main building. building.

outbuilding British  
/ ˈaʊtˌbɪldɪŋ /

noun

  1. a building subordinate to but separate from a main building; outhouse

"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

Etymology

Origin of outbuilding

First recorded in 1620–30; out- + building

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.

She told the court all that was done was the demolition of an outbuilding and some work on the foundations.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

The Wiltshire Council signed off on his plans to build an ornamental outbuilding, a three-story extension, the lake and a driveway that curves around it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 2, 2025

An outbuilding separate from a main house in Malibu Knolls burned, but other homes around it were unscathed.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2024

She also guides us to small two-storey outbuilding, gently announcing: "I wrote Rivals in there. Above a room with all the garden tools. It was very quiet."

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2024

Dad was in the outbuilding, where he had a forge.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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.