outside

[ noun out-sahyd, -sahyd; adjective out-sahyd, out-; adverb out-sahyd; preposition out-sahyd, out-sahyd ]

noun

1. the outer side, surface, or part; exterior:

   The outside of the house needs painting.

2. the external aspect or appearance.
3. the space without or beyond an enclosure, institution, boundary, etc.:

   a prisoner about to resume life on the outside.

4. a position away or farther away from the inside or center:

   The horse on the outside finished second.

5. an outside passenger or place on a coach or other vehicle.
6. Northern Canada and Alaska. (sometimes initial capital letter) the settled or more populous part of Canada or the U.S.

adjective

1. being, acting, done, or originating beyond an enclosure, boundary, etc.:

   outside noises; news from the outside world.

2. situated on or pertaining to the outside; exterior; external:

   an outside television antenna.

3. situated away from the inside or center; farther or farthest away from the inside or center:

   the outside lane.

4. not belonging to or connected with a specified institution, society, etc.:

   outside influences; outside help.

5. extremely unlikely or remote:

   an outside chance for recovery.

   Synonyms: slight, distant, faint

6. extreme or maximum:

   an outside estimate.

7. being in addition to one's regular work or duties:

   an outside job.

8. working on or assigned to the outside, as of a place or organization:

   an outside man to care for the grounds.

9. Baseball. (of a pitched ball) passing, but not going over, home plate on the side opposite the batter:

   The fastball was high and outside.

adverb

1. on or to the outside, exterior, or space without:

   Take the dog outside.

2. in or to an area that is removed from or beyond a given place or region:

   The country's inhabitants seldom travel outside.

preposition

1. on or toward the outside of:

   There was a noise outside the door.

2. beyond the confines or borders of:

   visitors from outside the country.

3. with the exception of; aside from:

   She has no interests outside her work.

outside

preposition

1. sometimes foll by of on or to the exterior of

   outside the house

2. beyond the limits of

   outside human comprehension

3. apart from; other than

   no-one knows outside you and me

adjective

1. prenominal situated on the exterior

   an outside lavatory

2. remote; unlikely

   an outside chance

3. not a member of
4. the greatest possible or probable (prices, odds, etc)
5. (of a road lane, esp in a dual carriageway or motorway) situated nearer or nearest to the central reservation, for use by faster or overtaking vehicles

adverb

1. outside a specified thing or place; out of doors
2. slang.
   not in prison

noun

1. the external side or surface

   the outside of the garage

2. the external appearance or aspect
3. the exterior or outer part of something
4. (of a path, pavement, etc) the side nearest the road or away from a wall or building
5. sport an outside player, as in football
6. plural the outer sheets of a ream of paper
7. (in the north) the settled parts of Canada
8. at the outside informal.
   at the most or at the greatest extent

   two days at the outside

9. outside in
   another term for inside out See inside

Usage

The use of outside of and inside of, although fairly common, is generally thought to be incorrect or non-standard: she waits outside (not outside of ) the school

Word History and Origins

Origin of outside¹

First recorded in 1495–1505; out- + side ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at the outside, at the utmost limit; at the maximum:

   There weren't more than ten at the outside.

2. outside of, other than; exclusive of; excepting:

   Outside of us, no one else came to the party.

More idioms and phrases containing outside

In addition to the idiom beginning with outside , also see at most (the outside) .

Example Sentences

Speaking outside the court after the verdict, Mr Ogle's daughter Toni said the long wait for justice had been a "particularly difficult experience".

From BBC

But now and then, one of those demons sneaks into the outside world, plants a red flag and screams out maniacally, “Dwaaaagaahaha!”

From Los Angeles Times

Just outside, the expensive new building under construction for the museum’s permanent collection is taking shape, designed for a misguided plan for theme show displays.

From Los Angeles Times

The report described lengthy stays for dogs at the Chesterfield Square shelter, with little human interaction and possibly “two weeks or more before they get any extended time outside of their kennels.”

From Los Angeles Times

It was beautiful bowling from Josh Hazlewood to set him up, going slightly shorter, and he found extra bounce to bring the outside edge.

From BBC

Related Words

• farther
• foreign
• out