out

Multiple Entries:
  out    out-  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
out/aʊt/

▶adverb

• 1 moving away from a place, especially from one that is enclosed to one that is open.

  ■ outdoors.

  ■ no longer in prison.

• 2 situated far or at a particular distance from somewhere: a farm out in the middle of nowhere.

  ■ to sea, away from the land.

  ■ (of the tide) falling or at its lowest level.

  ■ at a specified distance away from the goal or a finishing line.

• 3 in a public place for pleasure or entertainment.

• 4 so as to be revealed, heard, or known.

• 5 at or to an end.

  ■ so as to be finished.

• 6 (of a light or fire) so as to be extinguished or no longer burning.

▶preposition non-standard contraction of out of (sense 1). ▶adjective

• 1 not at home or one's place of work.

• 2 made public; revealed.

  ■ published.

  ■ informal in existence or use.

  ■ open about one's homosexuality.

• 3 no longer existing.

  ■ no longer in fashion.

• 4 not possible or worth considering.

• 5 unconscious.

• 6 mistaken: he was slightly out in his calculations.

• 7 (of the ball in tennis, squash, etc.) outside the playing area.

• 8 Cricket & Baseball no longer batting.

• 9 (of a flower) open.

▶noun

• 1 informal a way of escaping from a difficult situation.

• 2 Baseball an act of putting a player out.

▶verb

• 1 informal reveal the homosexuality of.

• 2 knock out.

• 3 dated expel or dismiss.

– phrases
at outs (N. Amer. on the outs) in dispute.
out and about engaging in normal activity after an illness.
out for intent on having.
out of

• 1 from (a place or source).

• 2 not having (something).

out of it informal

• 1 not included.

• 2 unaware of what is happening.

  ■ Brit. drunk.

out to do something keenly striving to do something.
out with it say what you are thinking.

– origin OE ūt (adv.), ūtian (v.), of Gmc origin.

usage: The use of out rather than out of as a preposition, as in he threw it out the window, is common in informal contexts, but is not widely accepted in standard British English.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
out-/aʊt/

▶prefix

• 1 to the point of surpassing or exceeding: outperform.

• 2 external; separate; from outside: outbuildings.

• 3 away from; outward: outpost.