What does “outside” mean?
- 1
adverbnot in a building, or in the open air
The kids are playing outside.
- 2
prepositionnear a building or room but not in it
I’ll wait for you outside the movie theater.
- 3
nounthe outer part or surface of something
The outside of the house is painted white.
Outside at a glance
- Part of speech
- adverb, preposition & noun
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /ˌaʊtˈsaɪd/ · owt-SIDE
How to use “outside” correctly
Don’t say “in outside”: “It’s cold outside,” not “It’s cold in outside.”
Common phrases with “outside”
- go outside
- outside of
- from the outside
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
Word family
- outsider
Idioms with “outside”
- Think outside the box: To think in a new, creative way instead of following the usual approach.
“outside” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- away adverbA1to or at a distance from a place or person
- back adverbA1to the place or state you were in before
- down adverbA1toward or in a lower place
- far adverbA1at or to a great distance
- here adverbA1in, at or to this place
- there adverbA1in, at, or to that place
- up adverbA1toward a higher place or position
- where adverbA1used to ask about a place or position