outside

[ noun out-sahyd, -sahyd; adjective out-sahyd, out-; adverb out-sahyd; preposition out-sahyd, out-sahyd ]

/ noun ˈaʊtˈsaɪd, -ˌsaɪd; adjective ˌaʊtˈsaɪd, ˈaʊt-; adverb ˌaʊtˈsaɪd; preposition ˌaʊtˈsaɪd, ˈaʊtˌsaɪd /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for outside on Thesaurus.com

noun

the outer side, surface, or part; exterior: The outside of the house needs painting.

the external aspect or appearance.

the space without or beyond an enclosure, institution, boundary, etc.: a prisoner about to resume life on the outside.

a position away or farther away from the inside or center: The horse on the outside finished second.

an outside passenger or place on a coach or other vehicle.

Northern Canada and Alaska.(sometimes initial capital letter) the settled or more populous part of Canada or the U.S.

adjective

being, acting, done, or originating beyond an enclosure, boundary, etc.: outside noises; news from the outside world.

situated on or pertaining to the outside; exterior; external: an outside television antenna.

situated away from the inside or center; farther or farthest away from the inside or center: the outside lane.

not belonging to or connected with a specified institution, society, etc.: outside influences; outside help.

extremely unlikely or remote: an outside chance for recovery.

extreme or maximum: an outside estimate.

being in addition to one's regular work or duties: an outside job.

working on or assigned to the outside, as of a place or organization: an outside man to care for the grounds.

Baseball. (of a pitched ball) passing, but not going over, home plate on the side opposite the batter: The fastball was high and outside.

adverb

on or to the outside, exterior, or space without: Take the dog outside.

in or to an area that is removed from or beyond a given place or region: The country's inhabitants seldom travel outside.

preposition

on or toward the outside of: There was a noise outside the door.

beyond the confines or borders of: visitors from outside the country.

with the exception of; aside from: She has no interests outside her work.

OTHER WORDS FOR outside

11 faint, distant, slight.

See synonyms for outside on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about outside

at the outside, at the utmost limit; at the maximum: There weren't more than ten at the outside.

outside of, other than; exclusive of; excepting: Outside of us, no one else came to the party.

Origin of outside

First recorded in 1495–1505; out- + side¹

Words nearby outside

outsettlement, outsettler, outshine, outshoot, outshout, outside, outside broadcast, outside caliper, outside director, outside forward, outside half

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use outside in a sentence

They’re also important in the daily lives of just about everyone who lives outside the cities.
Six ways to make your ATV even more rugged|By Tyler Freel/Outdoor Life|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
His family, supporters, and Moore waited outside the Jefferson City Correction Facility to welcome him home.
WNBA Player Maya Moore Marries Jonathan Irons, The Man She Helped Free From Prison|Jasmine Grant|September 17, 2020|Essence.com
My guess is we’ll be outside in some sort of socially distanced way.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
During that same period, scientists have also detected high-energy neutrinos, ghostly particles from outside the Milky Way whose origins are also unknown.
Neutrinos could reveal how fast radio bursts are launched|Lisa Grossman|September 16, 2020|Science News

A Martian landscape had replaced the Pacific coastline outside my home in San Francisco.
For millions of Americans, the wildfires made climate change real|Michael J. Coren|September 15, 2020|Quartz
These generally come from the outside, from cultural pressures and messages.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Two witnesses outside the Charlie Hebdo office building quoted the Kouachi brothers claiming they were members of al Qaeda.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sadly, it appears the American press often doesn't need any outside help when it comes to censoring themselves.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The offices were firebombed in 2011; no one was hurt but a permanent police car was subsequently stationed outside.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Expensive day care pushes women out of the labor market while men continue to work outside the home.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Where the outside conditions are not very favourable, practically all the British species may be grown with ease under glass.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Absently his hands wandered through the pockets, and found his purse and the money in an outside pocket.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Outside the hotel he came upon the two sisters sitting on a bench and drinking coffee.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
At the hotel he found the bench outside occupied chiefly by Jean.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
He reached up for her big, rough straw hat that hung on a peg outside the door, and put it on her head.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for outside

outside

preposition (ˌaʊtˈsaɪd)

(sometimes foll by of) on or to the exterior ofoutside the house

beyond the limits ofoutside human comprehension

apart from; other thanno-one knows outside you and me

adjective (ˈaʊtˌsaɪd)

(prenominal) situated on the exterioran outside lavatory

remote; unlikelyan outside chance

not a member of

the greatest possible or probable (prices, odds, etc)

(of a road lane, esp in a dual carriageway or motorway) situated nearer or nearest to the central reservation, for use by faster or overtaking vehicles

adverb (ˌaʊtˈsaɪd)

outside a specified thing or place; out of doors

slang not in prison

noun (ˈaʊtˈsaɪd)

the external side or surfacethe outside of the garage

the external appearance or aspect

the exterior or outer part of something

(of a path, pavement, etc) the side nearest the road or away from a wall or building

sport an outside player, as in football

(plural) the outer sheets of a ream of paper

Canadian (in the north) the settled parts of Canada

at the outside informal at the most or at the greatest extenttwo days at the outside

outside in another term for inside outSee inside (def. 5)

usage for outside

The use of outside of and inside of, although fairly common, is generally thought to be incorrect or non-standard: she waits outside (not outside of) the school

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with outside

outside

In addition to the idiom beginning with outside

outside of

also see:

at most (the outside)

outside

OTHER WORDS FOR outside

Idioms about outside

Origin of outside

Words nearby outside

Words related to outside

How to use outside in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for outside

usage for outside

Other Idioms and Phrases with outside