# out

> English word · Adverb · IPA /aʊt/ · frequency rank #45

## Definitions
1. Away from the inside or centre.
2. Away from, or at a distance from, some point of reference or focus.
3. Away from, or at a distance from, some point of reference or focus.
4. Away from, or at a distance from, some point of reference or focus.
5. Away, or at a distance, in time (relative to, and usually after, the present or a stated event) (often preceded by a stated time period and followed by "from")
6. Outside; not indoors.
7. Of the ball or other playing implement, so as to pass or be situated beyond the bounds of the playing area.
8. Into a state of non-operation or non-existence.
9. To the end; completely; so that nothing remains.
10. To the end; completely; so that nothing remains.
11. Used to intensify or emphasize.
12. Into a state of existence or visibility.
13. Into a state of existence or visibility.
14. So as to be disqualified from playing further by some action of a member of the opposing team (such as being stumped in cricket or a forced out in baseball).

## Etymology
From Middle English out, oute, from a combination of Old English ūt (“out”, preposition & adverb), from Proto-West Germanic *ūt, from Proto-Germanic *ūt (“out”); and Old English ūte (“outside; without”, adverb), from Proto-Germanic *ūtai (“out; outside”); both from Proto-Indo-European *úd (“upwards, away”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots oot (“out”), Yola out, outh, udh, ut, uth (“out”), North Frisian üt, ütj (“out”), Saterland Frisian uut (“out of”), West Frisian út (“out”), Cimbrian aus, auz (“out, outwards”), Dutch uit (“out”), German, Luxembourgish aus (“out”), Yiddish אויס (oys, “over, finished”), Danish ud (“out; outside”), Icelandic út (“out”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish ut (“out”), Gothic 𐌿𐍄 (ut, “out of”).

## Easily confused with
- **oz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-oz)
- **ow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-ow)
- **ox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-ox)
- **oy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-oy)
- **ov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-ov)
- **own** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-own)
- **owe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-owe)
- **owl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-owl)
- **ova** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-ova)
- **OWS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-ows)
- **outer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-outer)
- **outta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-outta)
- **outro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-outro)
- **outdo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/out-vs-outdo)
- **o** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/o-vs-out)
- **of** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/of-vs-out)
- **on** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-out)
- **or** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/or-vs-out)
- **OH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oh-vs-out)
- **OK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ok-vs-out)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/out