outside

American  

[out-sahyd, -sahyd, out-sahyd, out-, out-sahyd, out-sahyd, out-sahyd] / ˈaʊtˈsaɪd, -ˌsaɪd, ˌaʊtˈsaɪd, ˈaʊt-, ˌaʊtˈsaɪd, ˌaʊtˈsaɪd, ˈaʊtˌsaɪd /

noun

• outsides
  plural

1. the outer side, surface, or part; exterior.

   The outside of the house needs painting.

2. the external aspect or appearance.

3. the space without or beyond an enclosure, institution, boundary, etc..

   a prisoner about to resume life on the outside.

4. a position away or farther away from the inside or center.

   The horse on the outside finished second.

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

6. Northern Canada and Alaska. the settled or more populous part of Canada or the U.S.

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adjective

1. being, acting, done, or originating beyond an enclosure, boundary, etc..

   outside noises; news from the outside world.

2. situated on or pertaining to the outside; exterior; external.

   an outside television antenna.

3. situated away from the inside or center; farther or farthest away from the inside or center.

   the outside lane.

4. not belonging to or connected with a specified institution, society, etc..

   outside influences; outside help.

5. extremely unlikely or remote.

   an outside chance for recovery.

   Synonyms:

   slight, distant, faint

6. extreme or maximum.

   an outside estimate.

7. being in addition to one's regular work or duties.

   an outside job.

8. working on or assigned to the outside, as of a place or organization.

   an outside man to care for the grounds.

9. 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

1. on or to the outside, exterior, or space without.

   Take the dog outside.

2. in or to an area that is removed from or beyond a given place or region.

   The country's inhabitants seldom travel outside.

preposition

1. on or toward the outside of.

   There was a noise outside the door.

2. beyond the confines or borders of.

   visitors from outside the country.

3. with the exception of; aside from.

   She has no interests outside her work.

idioms

1. outside of, other than; exclusive of; excepting.

   Outside of us, no one else came to the party.

2. at the outside, at the utmost limit; at the maximum.

   There weren't more than ten at the outside.

outside British  

preposition

1. (sometimes foll by of) on or to the exterior of

   outside the house

2. beyond the limits of

   outside human comprehension

3. apart from; other than

   no-one knows outside you and me

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adjective

1. (prenominal) situated on the exterior

   an outside lavatory

2. remote; unlikely

   an outside chance

3. not a member of

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

5. (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

1. outside a specified thing or place; out of doors

2. slang not in prison

noun

1. the external side or surface

   the outside of the garage

2. the external appearance or aspect

3. the exterior or outer part of something

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

5. sport an outside player, as in football

6. (plural) the outer sheets of a ream of paper

7. (in the north) the settled parts of Canada

8. informal at the most or at the greatest extent

   two days at the outside

9. another term for inside out See inside

outside More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing outside

• at most (the outside)

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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

• outsides
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outside

First recorded in 1495–1505; out- + side ¹

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

See Examples For:

outside outsides

But, she added, some things could be better managed to keep outside factors from interfering with matches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

It was the first time an Everton player had scored from outside the penalty area on their Premier League debut.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

As freezing begins and the ice forms from outside in, various impurities in the water get pushed towards the centre.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

However, the drug is not ready to be used as a glioblastoma treatment and should not be taken for this purpose outside a clinical trial.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

A doctor talks in a hushed voice to a man and woman outside room 2B.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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

So even from a TV standpoint, you’re seeing it from the outsides.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2022

Graffiti has started to appear on the outsides of sheds, some of which are no longer being used and falling into disrepair.

From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2021

Volt said he’d washed the outsides of the bags with Clorox bleach.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Related Words

• farther
• foreign
• out