outgoing

adjective

out·​go·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ 

-ˌgȯ(-)iŋ

1

a

: going away : departing

an outgoing ship

b

: retiring or withdrawing from a place or position

the outgoing president

c

: directed to an intended recipient

outgoing mail

2

: openly friendly and responsive : extroverted

His outgoing personality made him popular at school.

outgoingness noun

Synonyms

• boon
• clubbable
• clubable
• clubby
• companionable
• convivial
• extroverted
• extraverted
• gregarious
• sociable
• social

Examples of outgoing in a Sentence

Outgoing mail goes in this box.

a salesman whose aggressively outgoing personality could sometimes be overbearing

Recent Examples on the Web

City will also surely sign a replacement for the outgoing De Bruyne. —Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

When Pugh joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Yelena Belova, she was introduced as the heir apparent to Scarlett Johansson’s outgoing Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2025

China's outgoing Shenzhou 19 crew have handed over the reins of the Tiangong space station to a new set of astronauts. —Andrew Jones, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2025

In the fall of 2024, the DMV's outgoing commissioner Wayne Goodwin, a Democrat, requested funding to hire ove60 new employees, but the request was denied. —Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for outgoing

• bestowing
• churchgoing
• elbowing
• fallowing
• farrowing
• foregoing
• forgoing
• ongoing
• outflowing
• outgrowing
• seagoing
• tiptoeing

Kids Definition

outgoing

adjective

out·​go·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ 

1

a

: going out : departing

outgoing tide

b

: retiring from a position

the outgoing governor

2

: being at ease and friendly when dealing with others

an outgoing person