outstanding
Americanadjective
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prominent; conspicuous; striking.
an outstanding example of courage.
- Synonyms:
- eminent
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marked by superiority or distinction; excellent; distinguished.
an outstanding student.
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continuing in existence; remaining unsettled, unpaid, etc..
outstanding debts.
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(of securities and the like) publicly issued and sold or in circulation.
-
standing out; projecting.
a stiff, outstanding fabric.
-
Archaic. that resists or opposes.
adjective
-
superior; excellent; distinguished
-
prominent, remarkable, or striking
-
still in existence; unsettled, unpaid, or unresolved
-
(of shares, bonds, etc) issued and sold
-
projecting or jutting upwards or outwards
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of outstanding
Explanation
Something outstanding stands out for good reasons. Your outstanding presentation captured everyone's attention; unfortunately, so did the tear in the seat of your pants. An outstanding performance of any kind will impress people, but there's one meaning to outstanding that most of us would rather avoid: that which remains unpaid. Outstanding gift ideas can lead to outstanding debt. Your outstanding mood was ruined when you saw the size of your outstanding credit card balance.
Vocabulary lists containing outstanding
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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.
All the while, there was the outstanding issue of the city paying back Hollywood Park for all those improvements, but that arrangement was configured to ensure Inglewood could do so without going into the red.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
As of March, federal loans made up more than 90% of total outstanding student debt, according to estimates by Enterval Analytics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
It had 849 million shares outstanding as of Sept. 30, compared with 1.2 billion at the end of 2023.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Presentation slides from the company emphasized its gradual reduction of outstanding shares over more than a decade as increasing "the potential for operating performance to translate into stronger per-share results."
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
I guess Mr. Crabtree came in the back door that day and didn’t know what had happened to the bear, because the first announcement was all about the outstanding fire-prevention display by the second grade.
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
