What does "outer" mean?
An outer part.
Outer
/ˈaʊtə/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An outer part.
- Grammar: outer is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: apparent, cortical, distant, epicarpal.
- Useful contrasts: inner, central, central group.
- Usage evidence: How do you find food in outer space?
How to use "outer"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "outer" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "outer" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "outer" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "outer" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "outer" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "apparent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "outer", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An outer part.
"'Phil Cornish' [a snowdrop variety] is like a cross between a pixie hat and a pagoda, with elegant upswept outers [outer petals] marked in a green colour-wash at the top and warpaint slashes at the lower end."
- 2 Someone who admits to something publicly.
- 3 An uncovered section of the seating at a stadium or sportsground.
- 4 Someone who outs another.
"From the early 90s, these were some of the fiercest debates raging in the gay press and in gay and straight bars worldwide as blabbermouths blabbed, sometimes just for the sheer hell of it, and gay celebrities ran for cover or bit the bullet and pipped the outers to the post."
- 5 The fourth circle on a target, outside the inner and magpie.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 One who puts out, ousts, or expels.
- 7 A shot which strikes the outer of a target.
- 8 An ouster; dispossession.
- 9 The smallest single unit sold by wholesalers to retailers, usually one retail display box.
"We ordered two cartons with twelve outers in each."
- 10 One who supports leaving the European Union. UK
"The 51.4 per cent to 48.6 per cent victory of the "outers" broke the back of the Labour government."
Adjective
- 1 Outside; external.
- 2 comparative form of out (“(more) open about one's sexuality, etc”): more out comparative, form-of
"And 'I like to wear a silly hat; I get camper by the hour. I'm Will Young and I'm gay. Did you know I was gay? I hid it for a while. But now I'm out, I'm outer than you would believe'.[…]"
- 3 Farther from the centre of the inside.
"Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. Their bases were on a level with the pavement outside, a narrow way which was several feet lower than the road behind the house."
Adjective
- 1 being on or toward the outside of the body wordnet
- 2 being on the outside or further from a center wordnet
- 3 located outside wordnet
Example
"How do you find food in outer space?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "outer"?
Common synonyms include: apparent, cortical, distant, epicarpal, epidermic, exomorphic.
How do you use "outer" in a sentence?
How do you find food in outer space?
How do you pronounce "outer"?
Pronounced /ˈaʊtə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English outre, outer, outter, uttre, from Old English ūtre, ūtera, ūterra (“outer”), equivalent to out + -er. Compare German äußere (“outer”), Danish ydre (“outer”), Swedish yttre (“outer”), Icelandic ytri (“outer”). Piecewise doublet of utter.
Etymology 2
out (verb) + -er (“agent suffix”)
Etymology 3
From out (adjective) + -er (“comparative suffix”).