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Showing results for outset. Search instead for outsee.
Synonyms

outset

American  
[aut-set] / ˈaʊtˌsɛt /

noun

  • outsets
    plural
  1. the beginning or start.

    I wanted to explain the situation at the outset.

  2. outsert.


outset British  
/ ˈaʊtˌsɛt /

noun

  1. a start; beginning (esp in the phrase from ( or at ) the outset )

"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

outset Idioms  

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of outset

First recorded in 1530–40; out- + set


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Vocabulary lists containing outset

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:

Villanueva was sheriff for nearly two years at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, while Luna was in office during the Eaton and Palisades fires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

The accounts have contribution limits and at the outset were to be invested in index funds.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Lisa Sabatine, 67, was involved with Platner’s campaign from the outset as a volunteer coordinator and is now organizing and canvassing with another group, People Power Maine.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

Lewis Koumas: Making his first Premier League start and the 21-year-old got stuck in from the outset in an energetic display that was loved by the Anfield crowd.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Perhaps the safest thing to do at the outset, if technology permits, is to send music.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Those series knew what they wanted to accomplish at their respective outsets, but could not match that overall intent with endings that were previously determined for them.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2021

But the outsets, with the strictest economy, must always of necessity be large, showing that crime is an important drawback to industry and thrift.

From The Prison Chaplaincy, And Its Experiences by Hosea Quinby

When a part of the common is enclosed and farmed, the enclosure is called an outset; but the outsets are never included in the numeration of merks of rental land.

From Second Shetland Truck System Report by William Guthrie

Mr. Blodget tells us that he never expected to advance more than a quarter of the outsets.

From Glimpses of the Past History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784 by W. O. (William Odber) Raymond

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