outing

American  

[ou-ting] / ˈaʊ tɪŋ /

noun

1. a pleasure trip, excursion, picnic, or the like.

   the annual outing for the senior class.

   Synonyms:

   jaunt

2. a public appearance, as by a participant in an athletic contest or event.

   The new player scored spectacularly in his second outing with the team.

3. the intentional exposure of a person’s denied or secret identity, orientation, or status, especially gay sexual orientation or transgender identity.

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outing British  

/ ˈaʊtɪŋ /

noun

1. a short outward and return journey; trip; excursion

2. informal the naming by homosexuals of other prominent homosexuals, often against their will

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Etymology

Origin of outing

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; out, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

This was Greg's third outing for Comic Relief in 10 years, after previously completing five triathlons in five days for his first and climbing mountains Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis for his second.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

In a story in “Ladies’ Lunch,” an old woman, disheveled after an outing, looks in a mirror and sees “what Diane Arbus might have seen. She gazed, appalled, and being appalled pricked her interest.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

In Mirabelli, several religious parents hoped to have similar success in challenging a California school district policy against forced outing.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

Although Roberts did not see Sasaki’s outing, he heard rave reviews from members of the organization who attended.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

I was uncomfortably aware that I had taken my mother’s place, going with her siblings and her remaining parent on an outing to remember her mother, a grandmother I had not known well.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Related Words

• excursion
• expedition
• picnic
• vacation