outer

OW-tur/ˈaʊtɚ/OW-tuh/ˈaʊtə/

Adjectiveoutermost, outmost

Noun pluralouters

13 meanings of outer

Practice

1
adjective
Found on the outside of something, not on the inside.
Like the skin of an apple, which is on the outside.
The outer walls of the fort kept out the cold wind.
Paint protects the outer parts of the house.
Similarexternal, exterior, outside, outward
Oppositeinner, internal, interior, inside
Note
2
adjective
Farther from the middle than something else.
Like the last ring on a dartboard, far from the middle.
The outer rings of a tree trunk are the newest.
Players stood along the outer edge of the field.
Similaroutside, peripheral, outlying, remote
Oppositeinner, central
Note
3
nouncountable
A part that sits on the outside of a thing.
The cooler has a hard plastic outer and a soft foam lining inside.
The snowdrop's white outers open wide on sunny days.
Similarexterior, outside, shell
Oppositeinterior
Note
4
nouncountable
An open part of the seats at a sports ground, with no roof.
Like sitting on open benches at a park game, with no roof above you.
We sat in the outer to watch the cricket all day.
The outer was packed with families during the match.
Similarbleachers
Note
5
nouncountable
A shot that hits the outer ring of a target.
Like hitting the very edge of a dartboard instead of the center.
Her last arrow was an outer, dropping her to second place.
He scored an outer instead of the bullseye he needed.
6
nouncountable
The fourth ring on a target, outside the two innermost rings.
Like the widest ring on a dartboard, worth the fewest points.
His shot landed in the outer, scoring just two points.
She placed three rounds in the outer of the target.
Note
7
nouncountable
The smallest amount a wholesaler sells to a shop, usually one display box.
Like buying a whole box of crayons instead of one crayon at a time.
The corner store ordered two outers of mints.
Each outer holds twenty-four chocolate bars.
Note
8
nouncountable
A person who tells the public something about themselves.
Like someone who stands up and tells everyone their own secret.
As an outer, he spoke openly about his past on stage.
The outer told the whole town her story without shame.
Note
9
nouncountable
A person who tells others a private secret about someone else.
Like someone who tells the class a friend's secret out loud.
The outer told everyone a secret that was not his to share.
People called the outer unkind for exposing his friend.
Note
10
nouncountable
The act of forcing someone out of a home or position.
Like being pushed out of your seat and not allowed back.
The sudden outer left the family with nowhere to live.
His outer from the company shocked everyone.
Similarouster, eviction, expulsion, removal, ejection
11
nounUKcountable
A person who wants their country to leave the European Union.
Like a person who votes yes when asked if their club should leave a bigger group.
Every outer in the town voted to leave the union.
The outers celebrated the result late into the night.
SimilarLeaver, Brexiteer
OppositeRemainer
Note
12
adjective
Comparative form of out, meaning more open about your sexuality. Most people say more out instead.
He felt much outer after marching in his first pride parade.
She grew outer with every year in the welcoming city.
Note

Less common meaning

13
noun
A person who forces someone out of a place or position.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of outer apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–7

From an Old English word meaning "outer," from "out" plus "-er."

Meanings 8–11

From the verb "out" plus "-er," the suffix for a doer.

Meaning 12

From the adjective "out" plus "-er," the comparative suffix.