outside

OWT-syd/ˈaʊt.saɪd/owt-SYD/aʊtˈsaɪd/

23 meanings of outside

1
near (a building)preposition
On or to the outer side of a place or thing, not in it, often close by.
A crowd gathered outside the courthouse before the verdict.
He parked the truck outside the garage and left the engine running.
UsageUsually for where something is: wait outside the store. For moving from in to out, out of is usual: ran out of the store.
Oppositeinside
2
not withinpreposition
Beyond the scope, limits, or borders of something.
These issues fall outside the committee's authority.
Her curiosity ranges far outside her professional field.
UsageOften after fall or be: fall outside the rules, outside my control, outside the scope of something.
Similarbeyond
Oppositewithin
3
in the open airadverb
In or into the open air, out of a building or other enclosed place.
We spent the whole afternoon outside, raking leaves.
It's too cold to stay outside for long today.
UsageNo to after verbs of motion: go outside (not ~~incorrect: go to outside~~).
4
adjective
Coming from, or done by, people or things beyond a particular place, group, or organization.
Outside influences slowly changed the village's old traditions.
The lab was carefully shielded from outside contamination.
UsageUsed before a noun: outside help, outside experts, outside noise.
Similarexternal
5
exteriornouncountable
The side or surface of something that faces outward, away from its interior.
The outside of the kettle stays cool while the water boils.
Rust had spread across the outside of the old fuel tank.
UsageUsually the outside of something, and often in on the outside: paint the outside of the house.
Similarexterior, surface, shell
Oppositeinside, interior
Note
This is the literal sense, built from out plus side: the side that faces out. In 1911 a London cab had to show its licensed number of passengers painted at the back on the outside, and Urquhart's 1653 Rabelais describes apothecary boxes painted on the outside with harpies and horned hares.
6
preposition
Apart from; other than.
Outside one or two complaints, the event ran smoothly.
He had little to show for the trip outside a sunburn and a few photos.
UsageOften followed by of: outside of a few complaints, though the bare form (outside one or two complaints) also occurs.
Similarbesides, except, beyond
7
adjective
Describing a part or position that lies on or near the outer side, surface, or edge of something, or outside a building, rather than in the middle or inside ('an outside wall'; 'the outside lane').
Runners in the outside lanes cover slightly more distance per lap.
She gripped the outside rail as the boat tilted hard.
8
exteriornounsingular
Space on the other side of a dividing line or edge.
The fortress walls divided the safe interior from the dangerous outside.
Cold air seeped in from the outside through the cracked window.
UsageUsually with the, in from the outside and on the outside.
Oppositeinside
Note
Here the outside is a place rather than a surface: the space past a wall, door or edge. The Bee Gees' New York Mining Disaster 1941 (1967) uses the phrase in a trapped man's question about the world beyond confinement, the same idea the "not in prison" sense makes literal.
9
appearancenouncountable
The external appearance of a person or thing.
Her cheerful outside hid years of quiet worry.
On the outside, the company looked successful and stable.
UsageMostly in on the outside, often set against inside: calm on the outside.
Similarexterior, facade, appearance, front, veneer
Oppositeinside
10
adjective
Carried on or existing beyond the limits or scope of an organization, group, or the like.
His outside activities sometimes conflicted with company rules.
The doctor maintains an outside practice in addition to her hospital duties.
Similarprivate

Less common meanings

11
slim (chance)adjective
Of a chance or possibility: slim, so that the event is improbable yet still conceivable.
Pollsters give the third-party candidate only an outside chance of carrying the state.
Doctors warned of an outside possibility that the infection could spread to his lungs.
UsageUsually before chance or possibility, followed by of: an outside chance of winning.
Similarslim, remote, slight, faint
Oppositestrong, good
Note
It pulls the opposite way from the "maximum" meaning: an outside figure is the most anyone would expect, while an outside chance is a small one. Both look to the far edge of what could happen.
12
out of prisonadverbcolloquial
No longer held in prison; living at liberty.
He found it hard to adjust to life outside after his release.
Most of his old friends were already outside by then.
Similarout, free
Oppositeinside
13
wide side (curve)nounsingular
The side of a curve or racetrack with the longer arc: the edge farthest from the inside of the course.
Drawn on the outside, the horse faced a longer trip around the first turn.
Cyclists on the outside of the curve pedal farther than those hugging the inside.
Oppositeinside
Note
In racing the outside is the longer way around: to go around the outside is to overtake on the longer arc, paying in distance for open track. A horse drawn on the outside faces a longer trip around the first turn for the same reason. The usual constructions are on the outside and around the outside of, followed by a rival or a bend.
14
baseballadjective
Of a pitched ball, passing home plate on the side away from the batter.
The catcher set up for a pitch low and outside.
Hitters often chase the outside pitch when they fall behind in the count.
Similaraway
Oppositeinside
Note
Baseball measures it from the batter's side of the plate: an outside pitch passes toward or beyond the edge farthest from the hitter. The adjective often stands alone after the verb, as in a broadcaster's "just a bit outside." It also pairs with height, as in low and outside. Batters who fall behind in the count are tempted to chase it.
15
maximum (estimate)adjective
Of an estimate, figure, or limit: as high or as great as it could possibly be; maximum.
The outside figure for completion is ten working days.
The contractor's outside estimate was two thousand dollars, though she expected the work to come in well under that.
Similarmaximum, top, highest, upper
Oppositeminimum
16
at the mostnoun
The furthest limit reachable in number, quantity, or extent, usually in the phrase 'at the outside', meaning at the most.
The renovation should take six weeks, eight at the outside, if the permits come through on time.
We can stretch the budget to forty thousand at the outside.
UsageAlmost always in at the outside, after a figure: eight weeks at the outside.
Similarmaximum, most
Oppositeminimum, least
17
lane near shoulderadjectiveUS
Positioned toward the shoulder of a road: the right-hand side where traffic drives on the right.
Drivers heading for the ramp moved into the outside lane.
Slower trucks are expected to keep to the outside lane, next to the shoulder, so faster cars can pass on the left.
Oppositeinside
Note
In American usage the reference point is the road's edge, not its middle. The outside lane of the highway runs beside the shoulder, where traffic heading for an exit ramp collects. That is the reverse of the British motorway lane, so when it matters, naming a lane by its side or its number avoids confusion.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The right-hand highway lane is used by traffic preparing to exit. qr.dmv.ca.gov
18
overtaking laneadjectiveUK
Positioned toward the central division of a road: the right-hand side where traffic drives on the left.
She pulled into the outside lane to overtake the lorry.
On the motorway, the outside lane is meant for overtaking only.
Similarfast
Oppositeinside
Note
Here the word splits between British and American usage. In British usage the outside lane of a motorway lies toward the central division: the overtaking lane, on the right where traffic keeps left. The American usage puts the outside lane by the shoulder instead. The same phrase can name opposite lanes, so a driver abroad should check which edge counts as outside.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
British usage places the outside lane toward the central division, on the right where traffic keeps left. en.wiktionary.org
The British outside lane is used for overtaking. 501csw.usafe.af.mil
American usage places the outside lane beside the shoulder, giving the phrase opposite positions relative to the road's centre and edge. en.wiktionary.org
19
not marriedadjective
Of a person or relationship, not legally married or related to a specified person, or not living with them; (of a child) born out of wedlock.
She learned that her father had an outside family in another town.
An outside child was still welcomed at every holiday gathering.
Note
A family term defined by its opposite, inside: an outside wife or outside child stands beyond the legal marriage or the shared household. Miriam Koktvedgaard Zeitzen's Polygamy (2008) sets the outside wife, whom her husband will not publicly declare, against the better-recognized inside wife. The term runs through writing on Yoruba and other sub-Saharan African families, where an outside marriage could leave children's inheritance in doubt.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
The family sense of outside contrasts with inside and concerns legal marriage, birth within marriage, or residence. en.wiktionary.org
Miriam Koktvedgaard Zeitzen wrote Polygamy: A Cross-cultural Analysis, first published in 2008. api.pageplace.de
Zeitzen contrasts an outside wife whose husband refuses public acknowledgment with an inside wife who has greater recognition. en.wiktionary.org
The terminology occurs in writing on sub-Saharan African families. en.wiktionary.org
Writing on Yoruba families describes uncertainty about children's inheritance rights when an outside marriage followed a monogamous Christian marriage. en.wiktionary.org
20
roof passengernoundatedUKcountable
A passenger riding on the exterior of a coach or carriage rather than inside.
Every outside on the coach was soaked by the time they reached the inn.
In the days of stagecoaches, a poorer traveler often rode as an outside, perched on the roof with the luggage and exposed to every shower of rain.
Oppositeinside
Note
A word from the coaching age for the people who rode on the exterior seats, and it takes a plural: outsides. Dickens, writing in 1836–37, gives them a whole sentence: "The outsides did as outsides always do," cheerful at the start of every stage and sleepy in the middle. The usage is dated, British and colloquial, and today it serves mainly for period color.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
Outside denoted a passenger riding on the exterior of a coach or carriage. en.wiktionary.org
The passenger noun has the plural outsides. gutenberg.org
Dickens wrote the quoted sentence in The Pickwick Papers; it is narration. gutenberg.org
The work containing the quotation first appeared in 1836–37. en.wikipedia.org
Dickens describes the passengers as cheerful at the start of each stage and sleepy in the middle. gutenberg.org
21
verb
To shut someone out of a group; to ostracize or exclude a person.
22
adverb
Beyond the breaking waves, in the open water farther from shore.
23
noun
The outer part of the sea, beyond the peak of the breaking waves.

Practice

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Origin

Formed from out combined with side.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Outside was formed from out combined with side. en.wiktionary.org