outmate

present singular third person outmates · participle present outmating · participle past outmated · past outmated

1. biologyTo mate with an individual who is not part of one's immediate social group.
2. transitivebiologyTo surpass in finding mates; to outbreed.
3. obsoletetransitiveTo outmatch.

plural outmates

1. rareA former inmate.

   With the inmates now outmates on PRISON BREAK (FOX, 8/7c), Mahone homes in on the escapees, now that he’s deciphered the D.B. Cooper connection.

   2006, TV Guide, volume 54, page 55

   5 more examples

   It is enough to make a monkey laugh and angels weep to see sixteen to twenty millions of folks quarreling, fussing, cheering, hooting and acting generally like outmates of a lunatic asylum every time these two gangs of political bunko-steerers run you up against their old game—which a child ought to see through—and make you think you are electing men of your choice, when all that you do, or can do, is to elect one of two sets of candidates of their choice, because you are bound to elect candidates hand-picked by these confidence operators, no matter how you vote.

   1919, Philip Francis, What’s the Matter With Our America, [New York, N.Y.]: The Littlebooks Library, →OCLC, page 19

   They also assign an inmate to an “outmate” who will correspond with him prior to release, then, hopefully, after release serve as a friend standing by. Exactly what each outmate does for his inmate will vary with individual situations.

   1972, Christian Herald, volume 95, page 51, column 3

   We call ourselves HELPMATES a name in keeping with the role we play in the lives of inmates and outmates. — (Note: I have never liked to speak of persons released from prison as ex-offenders or ex-convicts or former offenders or former inmates, so I suggested that we call our RCJ friends “outmates.” We help them while they are in jail and try to keep in touch with some of them when they are out of jail. One way to help an outmate is to let her return to help the inmates. Five outmates have been cleared by Mr. Winston to render this service when accompanied by me.)

   1972, Nancy Thomas, “Helpmates: A Volunteer Recreation Program in a City Jail”, in Therapeutic Recreation Journal, volume 6, National Recreation and Park Association, pages 186–187

   He had not realised how cool the prison had been until they took him out into the sun. Three mumbling brim-hatted, plainclothes policemen came to fetch him and the chief warder shook his hand strongly as if he had won something. Everything, it appeared, was going to be all right. The padre was entering through the outer office door as he was passing through. / ‘Ah, an inmate becomes an outmate,’ giggled the clergyman. ‘God be with you.’

   1986, Leslie Thomas, The Adventures of Goodnight & Loving, Los Angeles, Calif.: Price Stern Sloan, →ISBN, page 286

   The assistant D.A., the police investigators, the jailers and judges, all cringed when they had to process the papers that would make an inmate an outmate. They felt they were forced participants to a legalized jailbreak. / So in that sense it didn’t surprise me that Wilkes would want to get Diderot out of jail himself.

   1993, Charles Sevilla, Wilkes on Trial, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 67