outcome
Americannoun
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outcomes
plural
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a final product or end result; consequence; issue.
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a conclusion reached through a process of logical thinking.
noun
Synonym Usage
See end 1.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of outcome
First recorded in 1175–1225, outcome is from the Middle English word utcume. See out-, come
Explanation
The result of something, or the consequence of it, is the outcome. If your oldest child announces that your youngest child has climbed onto the roof with a handmade set of wings, you should probably not expect a good outcome. Better run! The noun outcome refers to the result of a process, but recently, when joined with the word "based", it has become jargon within a variety of industries and you'll see uses like outcome-based medicine and outcome-based budgeting. Outcome-based education, for example, rewards schools and teachers whose students meet certain goals on standardized tests, although critics argue this robs teachers and students of creativity.
Vocabulary lists containing outcome
List 10
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Chapter 18: The Reconstruction Era
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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.
See Examples For:
It is to point out that a series of developments have produced an outcome that many or most people never intended, and of which they are not aware.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
A total of 2.7% of patients in each group experienced one of the events included in the study's primary outcome.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken,” Bass said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
But there was one intriguing outcome in the vote count: Two Arab parties together won 19 seats—almost twice as many as the 10 seats they won in the previous election.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
The more sessions he had, the more positive the outcome.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
In a written statement, Public and Preventative Health Minister Nerys Evans said the latest evidence suggested a link between consumption of high-caffeine energy drinks and negative health outcomes in children.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Researchers wanted to determine whether using this information to guide statin recommendations could improve cardiovascular outcomes.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
The $70-billion deal would lead to “improved health outcomes and lower medical costs,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The occurrence of an extreme event makes other drastic outcomes feel more likely, no matter what the historical probabilities indicate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
It is a key feature of his work that Galileo always carried out experiments to test hypotheses, modifying or abandoning those hypotheses if the outcomes of the experiments did not match their predictions.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
