out-

prefix

External to, on the outside of

“outdo”

Similar
off-ab-apo-de-awayoffsupra-trans-
Opposite
in-intra-en-em-im-
OriginMiddle English ut- ← Old English ūt- ← Proto-Germanic *ūt- →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

prefix
  1. External to, on the outside of

    outback

    1 more example

    outhouse

  2. Toward the outside of, away from

    outcast

    2 more examples

    outlead

    outflee

    Synonyms: off-, ab-, apo-, de-, away, off

  3. Forms verbs with the sense of surpassing or exceeding the prefixed word. This construction is productive.

    outdo

    5 more examples

    outlast

    outmaneuver

    It out-Herods Herod. Pray you, avoid it.

    c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]

    She was nobody when he married her, barely the daughter of a gentleman; but ever since her being turned into a Churchill she has out-Churchill’d them all in high and mighty claims: but in herself, I assure you, she is an upstart.

    1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter XVIII, in Emma: […], volume II, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, page 345

    With a few honorable exceptions it out-Descartesed Descartes […]

    2016, Noam Chomsky, What Kind of Creatures Are We?, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 124

    Synonyms: supra-

  4. Greater than

    outrun

    3 more examples

    outsize

    outgrow

    By the end of the competition, Lisa's plant had outgrown its competitors, winning the competition.

    Synonyms: supra-

  5. Beyond

    The plant's leaves outgrew their box

    Synonyms: trans-, para-, hyper-, ultra-, extra-, preter-

  6. Completely

    outfit

    1 more example

    outwork

Synonyms & antonyms

prefixToward the outside of, away from

Similar
off-ab-apo-de-awayoff

prefixForms verbs with the sense of surpassing or exceeding the prefixed word. This construction is productive.

Similar
supra-

prefixGreater than

Similar
supra-

prefixBeyond

Similar
trans-para-hyper-ultra-extra-preter-

outside

Similar
ex-exo-ecto-

antonym(s) of “outside”

Opposite
in-intra-en-em-im-end-endo-ento-
Also see
ab-apo-awayde-ecto-ex-exo-extra-hyper-off-preter-trans-ultra-

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úd
  2. Proto-Germanic*ūt
  3. Proto-Germanic*ūt-
  4. Old Englishūt-
  5. Middle Englishut-
  6. Englishout-

From Middle English ut-, from Old English ūt- (“out, without, outside”) (also as ūta-, ūtan- (“from or on the outside, without”), as in ūtanweard (“outward, external”)), from Proto-Germanic *ūt- (“out-”). Cognate with Dutch uit-, German aus-, Swedish ut-, Icelandic út-. More at out.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish ponad-, poza-
  • ponad-surpassing or greater than
  • poza-outside
Spanish superar, superar en
  • superarsurpassing or greater than
  • superar ensurpassing or greater than
  • vencer ensurpassing or greater than
  • aventajarsurpassing or greater than
  • ventajearsurpassing or greater than
Cite this entry
APA

out-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out-

MLA

“out-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “out-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out-.

Source: out- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.