out

The word “out” means away from the inside, a home, or a central point. In plain terms, away from inside, off, unfashionable, or (as a verb) to expose someone's secret.

“Out” is pronounced UUT (/ˈaʊ̯t/ in IPA).

Here is “out” used in a sentence: “She's out at the moment — try calling back later.”

Words with a similar meaning to “out” include away, passé and unchic.

The opposite of “out” — its antonyms — are in, safe, closeted and in the closet.

Depending on how it is used, “out” can be an adverb, an adjective, a verb and a noun.

The word “out” comes from Old English. From Old English ūt, from a very old Germanic root meaning "away, outward" — found in related forms across most Germanic languages.

“Out” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

"Out" emphasises movement away from the inside or being away from home ("she's out," "he walked out"), while "outside" points to the specific area beyond a boundary ("wait outside the door"). "Outside" can act as a preposition directly before a noun, whereas "out" in careful usage normally needs "of": "out of the room".

"Out of" is the traditional and fully standard form: "He looked out of the window." Dropping "of" — "out the window" — is very common in American English and increasingly accepted everywhere, though some formal styles still prefer "out of".

"Out" has a well-established sense of "no longer burning, switched on, or in operation," so a fire goes out and the lights are out during a power cut. The same sense appears in phrasal verbs like "put out" and "blow out".