outlet

American  

[out-let, -lit] / ˈaʊt lɛt, -lɪt /

noun

1. an opening or passage by which anything is let out; vent; exit.

2. Electricity.

   1. a point on a wiring system at which current is taken to supply electric devices.

   2. Also called outlet box.  the metal box or receptacle designed to facilitate connections to a wiring system.

3. a means of expression or satisfaction.

   an outlet for one's artistic impulses.

4. a market for goods.

5. a store, merchant, or agency selling the goods of a particular wholesaler or manufacturer.

6. a local radio or television station that broadcasts the programs of a large network.

7. a river or stream flowing from a body of water, as a lake or pond.

8. the channel such a river or stream follows.

9. the lower end or mouth of a river where it meets a large body of water, as a lake or the sea.

---

outlet British  

/ ˈaʊtlɛt, -lɪt /

noun

1. an opening or vent permitting escape or release

2. a means for release or expression of emotion, creative energy, etc

3. 1. a market for a product or service

   2. a commercial establishment retailing the goods of a particular producer or wholesaler

4. 1. a channel that drains a body of water

   2. the mouth of a river

5. a point in a wiring system from which current can be taken to supply electrical devices

6. anatomy the beginning or end of a passage, esp the lower opening of the pelvis ( pelvic outlet )

---

Etymology

Origin of outlet

First recorded in 1200–50, outlet is from the Middle English word utlete. See out, let ¹

Explanation

Any hole or opening that allows water or gas to get out is an outlet. The place where water runs out of a lake and into a river is one example of an outlet. When you need to charge your laptop, you plug it into an electrical outlet, which gets its name from the idea that electricity comes out of it, just as water flows out of a river outlet. Outlet is also used to mean "store that sells discounted goods" and "a way to express yourself emotionally creatively." Dancing might be your outlet, for example — the way you let your feelings and creativity out.

Example Sentences

Grocery Outlet, founded in 1946 in San Francisco, is known for selling discounted overstock items, such as holiday foods and drinks nearing expiration.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Grocery Outlet is hoping to turn things around by closing struggling stores to focus on building clusters around its high-performing ones, said Catherine Douglas Moran, an editor at the trade publication Grocery Dive.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

At the Apollo Depot Military Outlet in downtown Oceanside on Friday, Sam Esparza, 32, was stocking a display case with pins and checking inventory.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

Grocery Outlet locations are independently operated and geared toward affordability, targeting a value-seeking customer base.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

Most likely she’s near the Indian Ladder where Outlet Falls plunges off the cliff.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• market
• shop
• showroom