Outlet
//ˈaʊtlɛt// noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A vent or similar passage to allow the escape of something.
- 2 activity that frees or expresses creative energy or emotion wordnet
- 3 Something which allows for the release of one's desires.
"Jamie found doing martial arts was a great outlet for her stress."
- 4 an opening that permits escape or release wordnet
- 5 A river that runs out of a lake.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a place of business for retailing goods wordnet
- 7 A shop that sells the products of a particular manufacturer or supplier.
- 8 receptacle providing a place in a wiring system where current can be taken to run electrical devices wordnet
- 9 A wall-mounted socket connected to an electrical power supply, at which current can be taken to run electrical devices.
"I had to move the cupboard to get to the power outlet."
Example
More examples"Where can I find an outlet for all my anger?"
Etymology
From Middle English outlete, outeleate, ut-lete, derived from Middle English outleten (“to allow, let out, emit”), equivalent to out- + let. Compare West Frisian útlit (“outlet”), Dutch uitlaat (“outlet”), German Auslass (“outlet”).
Related phrases
More for "outlet"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.