outset
Americannoun
-
the beginning or start.
I wanted to explain the situation at the outset.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of outset
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Vocabulary lists containing outset
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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.
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In a statement, Paramount said “Today’s agreement is a significant win because the result is exactly what we have sought from the outset: a direct path to a trial based on the evidence.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Newcastle, nonetheless, had big ambitions from the outset.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
From the outset, Oseman knew she wanted to end “Heartstopper” with Nick going off to university in Leeds and Charlie, who is a year younger, finding independence as head boy at school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
From the outset, Fedorov -- who never served in the army -- clashed with the military's command and their traditionally stiff approach.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
The government decided at the outset that the American Expeditionary Force would be made up mostly of draftees.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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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 Quinby, Hosea
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 Raymond, W. O. (William Odber)
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 Guthrie, William
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.