outside
Americannoun
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the outer side, surface, or part; exterior.
The outside of the house needs painting.
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the external aspect or appearance.
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the space without or beyond an enclosure, institution, boundary, etc..
a prisoner about to resume life on the outside.
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a position away or farther away from the inside or center.
The horse on the outside finished second.
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an outside passenger or place on a coach or other vehicle.
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Northern Canada and Alaska. the settled or more populous part of Canada or the U.S.
adjective
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being, acting, done, or originating beyond an enclosure, boundary, etc..
outside noises; news from the outside world.
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situated on or pertaining to the outside; exterior; external.
an outside television antenna.
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situated away from the inside or center; farther or farthest away from the inside or center.
the outside lane.
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not belonging to or connected with a specified institution, society, etc..
outside influences; outside help.
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extremely unlikely or remote.
an outside chance for recovery.
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extreme or maximum.
an outside estimate.
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being in addition to one's regular work or duties.
an outside job.
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working on or assigned to the outside, as of a place or organization.
an outside man to care for the grounds.
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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
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on or to the outside, exterior, or space without.
Take the dog outside.
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in or to an area that is removed from or beyond a given place or region.
The country's inhabitants seldom travel outside.
preposition
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on or toward the outside of.
There was a noise outside the door.
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beyond the confines or borders of.
visitors from outside the country.
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with the exception of; aside from.
She has no interests outside her work.
idioms
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outside of, other than; exclusive of; excepting.
Outside of us, no one else came to the party.
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at the outside, at the utmost limit; at the maximum.
There weren't more than ten at the outside.
preposition
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(sometimes foll by of) on or to the exterior of
outside the house
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beyond the limits of
outside human comprehension
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apart from; other than
no-one knows outside you and me
adjective
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(prenominal) situated on the exterior
an outside lavatory
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remote; unlikely
an outside chance
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not a member of
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the greatest possible or probable (prices, odds, etc)
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(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
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outside a specified thing or place; out of doors
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slang not in prison
noun
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the external side or surface
the outside of the garage
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the external appearance or aspect
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the exterior or outer part of something
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(of a path, pavement, etc) the side nearest the road or away from a wall or building
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sport an outside player, as in football
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(plural) the outer sheets of a ream of paper
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(in the north) the settled parts of Canada
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informal at the most or at the greatest extent
two days at the outside
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another term for inside out See inside
Usage
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of outside
Explanation
The outside of something is the part that's visible to the world. A neighbor who's used to the tidy outside of your house might be shocked by the mess inside. Your perfect chocolate chip cookies might be crunchy on the outside, but soft inside, and when your friends eat them, they'll look as happy on the outside as they feel inside. Outside is also an adjective, for talking about the outside temperature or your outside lights that automatically turn on at dusk. If you're on the outside of some group, you don't feel like you belong, and if someone talks about "an outside chance," they mean a very unlikely possibility.
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:
According to a report by the government news agency Andina, external, neighbours said unknown individuals had set fire to motorcycles parked outside, with the flames spreading rapidly through flammable mattress-making materials.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Aside from following the Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team, she has few hobbies outside ballet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
But bigger than every NFL game outside of the Super Bowl, the perennial ratings blockbuster, was not on their radar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
He also emphasized the importance of in-house research in the small-cap space, because “there is a large number of companies not followed by the universe outside our four walls.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
No mosquitoes, no existing outside of the now.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The FeBOs formed balls containing neurons in their centers and progenitor cells on their outsides, which allowed them to grow without maturing into older brains.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 9, 2024
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the attack “insignificantly damaged” the outsides of two buildings in the Moscow City district.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 29, 2023
You cannot fix your insides with the outsides, so don’t forget to do things that make your heart smile.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023
Billions more sit guard in the tissue of your body that borders your outsides waiting for invaders to cross them.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2022
After the lids are sealed tightly, I rinse the outsides, then place them in the freezer.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
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.
