preposition
not within a place, area, group, or limit
Wait outside the building.
The cost is outside our budget.
Common phrases & grammar
outside the house · outside the city · outside office hours
outside + a/the + place
outside + normal + hours
American English
How to pronounce outside
preposition · adverb · adjective · nounA1Very common word
owtSAID
/aʊt̚ˈsaɪd̚/
2 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
not within a place, area, group, or limit
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
adverb
in or to an open place, not in a building or vehicle
The children are playing outside.
Please leave your shoes outside.
Common phrases & grammar
go outside · wait outside · play outside
go + outside
wait + outside
adjective
on the outer part of something, not the inner part
The outside wall needs paint.
Wipe the outside surface of the pan.
Good to know
Do not confuse outside with outdoor. Outside describes an outer part; outdoor describes an activity or place in the open air.
Common phrases & grammar
outside wall · outside edge · outside surface
outside + noun
adjective
coming from a person or group that is not part of an organization or activity
The company needed outside help.
We hired an outside expert.
Common phrases & grammar
outside help · outside expert · outside source
outside + help
outside + expert
Useful expressions
not within a place, group, or limit
The repair is outside of our budget.
in a creative way, using ideas that are not usual
We need to think outside the box.
seen by someone who is not part of a situation
From the outside, the job looks easy.