outside

1 of 4

noun

out·​side ˌau̇t-ˈsīd How to pronounce outside (audio)
ˈau̇t-ˌsīd
1
a
: a place or region beyond an enclosure or boundary: such as
(1)
: the world beyond the confines of an institution (such as a prison)
(2)
often capitalized in Alaska : the world beyond the territory or state of Alaska
especially : the 48 contiguous states
b
: the area farthest from a specified point of reference: such as
(1)
: the side of home plate farthest from the batter
(2)
: the part of a playing area toward the sidelines
(3)
: the part of a playing area away from the goal
2
: an outer side or surface
3
: an outer manifestation : appearance
4
: the extreme limit of a guess : maximum
the crowd numbered 10,000 at the outside

outside

2 of 4

adjective

1
a
: of, relating to, or being on or toward the outer side or surface
the outside edge
b
: of, relating to, or being on or toward the outer side of a curve or turn
c
: of, relating to, or being on or near the outside
an outside pitch
2
a
: situated or performed outside a particular place
b
: connected with or giving access to the outside
outside telephone line
3
4
a
: not included or originating in a particular group or organization
blamed the riot on outside agitators
b
: not belonging to one's regular occupation or duties
outside interests
5
: barely possible : remote
an outside chance
6
: made or done from the outside
borrowed a basketball and practiced his outside shot

outside

3 of 4

adverb

1
: on or to the outside
2

outside

4 of 4

preposition

1
used as a function word to indicate movement to or position on the outer side of
2
: beyond the limits of
outside the scope of this report
outside the law
3
: except

Examples of outside in a Sentence

Noun The house looks nice from the outside. painted the outside of the house Adjective the outside edge of the foot She turned on the outside light to see what was making the noise. The phone will not let you make outside calls. The company hired an outside consultant. a businessman with few outside interests besides golf There were outside influences that affected his decision to retire early. Adverb The children love playing outside. It's nice outside, with not a cloud in the sky. He ran outside to see what the noise was about. He looked outside at the snow. The candy was hard outside but chewy inside. The car seemed in good condition outside. Preposition We waited outside the store. He kept his hands outside his pockets. There was a dog barking outside the house. She finished the race five seconds outside the record. We live outside the city. I have never traveled outside the U.S. before. No one outside the group knew of their plans.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
With his outside shot once again falling, he's averaged 8.7 assists over his last seven games. William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025 Two other dogs were alive, one near Betsy, the other outside (a family friend later took them in). Tom Gliatto, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
If true, good for those outside government in possession of digital wallets, and too bad for those outside government with digital wallets assuming the coins collapse. John Tamny, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025 Smokeless fire pits have a double-wall design that pulls cooler outside air up through the base, heats it up inside the outer walls, and releases it into the fire through small holes at the top. Clint Davis, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Adverb
Aside from waiting until the average last frost date has passed, the seedlings will give signs when they can be transplanted outside. Lauren David, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025 Most high school bigs want to play outside and that’s to our advantage and liking. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2025
Preposition
Cultures of continuous improvement are necessary for visionary leaders to think outside the box and see their innovation through. Mark Nevins, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025 More footage circulating online shows clouds of smoke rising into the sky, visible from the nearby Boardwalk area just outside Epcot's gates. EW.com, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for outside

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outside was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outside.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outside. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

outside

1 of 4 noun
out·​side (ˈ)au̇t-ˈsīd How to pronounce outside (audio)
ˈau̇t-ˌsīd
1
: a place or region beyond an enclosure or boundary
2
: an outer side or surface
3
: the extreme limit of a guess : most
the crowd numbered 10,000 at the outside

outside

2 of 4 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or being on the outside
the outside edge
2
: connected with or leading to the outside
an outside door
3
: coming from outside
outside influences
4
: barely possible : remote
an outside chance

outside

3 of 4 adverb
: on or to the outside
waited outside in the hall
especially : outdoors entry 1
took the dog outside

outside

4 of 4 preposition
1
: on or to the outside of
outside the house
2
: beyond the limits of
outside the law
3
: except entry 1 sense 2, besides
nobody outside a few close friends

More from Merriam-Webster on outside

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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