outing

outing — noun

1. a short trip that people take together for fun, learning, or another planned act

1.nounB2
Definition

a short trip that people take together for fun, learning, or another planned activity.

Example

Our class outing to the science museum starts at eight.

outing to + place

After lunch, the care home arranged an outing for six residents.

arrange an outing for a group

Common collocations
  • school outing
  • family outing
  • museum outing
  • beach outing
  • company outing
Synonyms
  • trip

    the broad everyday word; outing often suggests a short shared activity

  • excursion

    more formal and often used for organized visits or tours

  • day trip

    specifically a trip that starts and ends on the same day

  • picnic

    an outing focused on eating outdoors, not any short group trip

Grammar Patterns

go on an outing

outing to + place

school outing

family outing

Usage Note

Often used for organized day trips by schools, families, clubs, or workplaces. It usually suggests a short planned event rather than a long holiday.

Common Mistakes

We went on a two-week outing in Thailand.
We went on a two-week holiday in Thailand.
An outing is usually short, often lasting only part of a day or one day.

2. the act of publicly revealing a well-known person's sexual identity without that

2.nounC2
Definition

the act of publicly revealing a well-known person's sexual identity without that person's agreement.

Example

The magazine faced lawsuits after the outing of a TV host.

the outing of + person

Party leaders condemned the outing of the mayor during the campaign.

Common collocations
  • the outing of a politician
  • media outing
  • outing in the press
  • forced outing
Synonyms
  • disclosure

    broader and more neutral; outing usually stresses lack of consent

  • exposure

    often suggests something hidden being brought into the open, sometimes with a harsh tone

  • revelation

    can be neutral or dramatic, without the specific idea of forcing private identity into public view

Antonyms
  • privacy

    keeping personal information from becoming public

Grammar Patterns

the outing of + person

an outing by + source

outing in + newspaper

Usage Note

Often appears in media, politics, or activist discussion. Countable use names one case, while uncountable use refers to the practice in general.

Common Mistakes

The actor's outing happened when he told fans he was gay.
The actor came out when he told fans he was gay.
Outing is when someone else makes the information public, not when the person says it themselves.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For the first sense, outing is a friendly word for a short shared trip, often planned by a family, school, club, or workplace. Trip is much broader and can mean anything from a quick drive to a long holiday. Excursion is more formal and is common in school, travel, or tour contexts, especially when the visit has a purpose such as learning or sightseeing. Day trip is narrower because it clearly means leaving and returning on the same day. Use outing when the event itself matters as a group activity: The team enjoyed a beach outing. Use day trip when the timing matters: We took a day trip to Taichung and came home that night.

outing ↗trip ↗excursion ↗day trip

Etymology

English

This word was formed in English from out with the ending -ing. The older travel sense grew from the idea of going out for a short time, especially for pleasure. The later sense about revealing someone's sexual identity developed much more recently from the verb out, meaning to make that private fact public.