# outside

Pronunciation: US say "OWT-syd" /ˈaʊt.saɪd/; UK say "owt-SYD" /aʊtˈsaɪd/

## Preposition

1. On or to the outer side of a place or thing, not in it, often close by.
   - Simple: Not inside a place or thing, but on or to its outer side, often near it.
   - _A crowd gathered outside the courthouse before the verdict._
   - _He parked the truck outside the garage and left the engine running._
2. Beyond the scope, limits, or borders of something.
   - Simple: Past the edge or limits of something.
   - _These issues fall outside the committee's authority._
   - _Her curiosity ranges far outside her professional field._
6. Apart from; other than.
   - Simple: Other than something, or not counting it.
   - _Outside one or two complaints, the event ran smoothly._
   - _He had little to show for the trip outside a sunburn and a few photos._

## Adverb

3. In or into the open air, out of a building or other enclosed place.
   - Simple: Out of a building, in or into the open air.
   - _We spent the whole afternoon outside, raking leaves._
   - _It's too cold to stay outside for long today._
12. No longer held in prison; living at liberty. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Free again, no longer being held in prison.
   - _He found it hard to adjust to life outside after his release._
   - _Most of his old friends were already outside by then._

## Adjective

4. Coming from, or done by, people or things beyond a particular place, group, or organization.
   - Simple: Coming from somewhere else, or from people who are not part of a group.
   - _Outside influences slowly changed the village's old traditions._
   - _The lab was carefully shielded from outside contamination._
7. 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').
   - Simple: On or near the outer part or edge of something, or outdoors, rather than in the middle or inside.
   - _Runners in the outside lanes cover slightly more distance per lap._
   - _She gripped the outside rail as the boat tilted hard._
10. Carried on or existing beyond the limits or scope of an organization, group, or the like.
   - Simple: Done or happening apart from a particular group, job, or organization.
   - _His outside activities sometimes conflicted with company rules._
   - _The doctor maintains an outside practice in addition to her hospital duties._
11. Of a chance or possibility: slim, so that the event is improbable yet still conceivable.
   - Simple: Used about a chance: very small, so the thing will probably not happen but still could.
   - _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._
14. Of a pitched ball, passing home plate on the side away from the batter.
   - Simple: Of a pitch, passing on the far side of home plate, 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._
15. Of an estimate, figure, or limit: as high or as great as it could possibly be; maximum.
   - Simple: Being the greatest amount or limit that is possible.
   - _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._
17. Positioned toward the shoulder of a road: the right-hand side where traffic drives on the right. *(US)*
   - Simple: On the side of a road nearest the shoulder, away from the center.
   - _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._
18. Positioned toward the central division of a road: the right-hand side where traffic drives on the left. *(UK)*
   - Simple: On the side of a road nearest the center, away from the shoulder.
   - _She pulled into the outside lane to overtake the lorry._
   - _On the motorway, the outside lane is meant for overtaking only._
19. 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.
   - Simple: Of a child, partner, or relationship, falling beyond a legal marriage or away from the main household.
   - _She learned that her father had an outside family in another town._
   - _An outside child was still welcomed at every holiday gathering._

## Noun

5. The side or surface of something that faces outward, away from its interior.
   - Simple: The outer surface or part of a thing, the side that faces out.
   - _The outside of the kettle stays cool while the water boils._
   - _Rust had spread across the outside of the old fuel tank._
8. Space on the other side of a dividing line or edge.
   - Simple: The area past the edge or border of a place.
   - _The fortress walls divided the safe interior from the dangerous outside._
   - _Cold air seeped in from the outside through the cracked window._
9. The external appearance of a person or thing.
   - Simple: The way someone or something looks on the surface.
   - _Her cheerful outside hid years of quiet worry._
   - _On the outside, the company looked successful and stable._
13. The side of a curve or racetrack with the longer arc: the edge farthest from the inside of the course.
   - Simple: The outer edge of a curve or track, the longer way around.
   - _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._
16. The furthest limit reachable in number, quantity, or extent, usually in the phrase 'at the outside', meaning at the most.
   - Simple: The greatest amount, number, or size that something can reach.
   - _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._

## Noun

20. A passenger riding on the exterior of a coach or carriage rather than inside. *(dated, UK)*
   - Simple: A passenger who rides on top of or outside a coach, not inside it.
   - _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._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To shut someone out of a group; to ostracize or exclude a person.
- (adverb) Beyond the breaking waves, in the open water farther from shore.
- (noun) The outer part of the sea, beyond the peak of the breaking waves.

## Origin

Formed from out combined with side.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/outside (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).