Standard Lemma guide

outskirt

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈaʊtskɝt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈaʊtskɜːt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AW1 T S K ER2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A more remote part of a town or city; the periphery, environs; a suburb.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Many people commute into the business district from the outskirts of town.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To surround as an outskirt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a part of the city far removed from the center

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they built a factory on the outskirts of the city

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fringe

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: city district

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úd Proto-Germanic *ūt Proto-Germanic *ūt- Old English ūt- Middle English ut- English out- Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ Old Norse skyrtabor. Middle English skyrte English skirt English outskirt From out- + skirt.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: ضَاحِيَة (ḍāḥiya) — periphery
  • Arabic: مَشَارِف (mašārif) — periphery
  • Catalan: afores — periphery
  • Chinese Mandarin: 郊外 (jiāowài) — periphery
  • Chinese Mandarin: 郊區 /郊区 (jiāoqū) — periphery
  • Czech: předměstí — periphery
  • Czech: okraj — periphery
  • Danish: udkant — periphery
  • Finnish: laitakaupunginosa — periphery
  • French: banlieue — periphery
  • German: Außenbezirk — periphery
  • German: Stadtrand — periphery
  • German: Außenbereich — periphery
  • German: Vorort — periphery
  • German: Randbezirk — periphery
  • German: Randgebiet — periphery
  • German: Randbereich — periphery
  • Hindi: बाह्यांचल (bāhyāñcal) — periphery
  • Hindi: सीमांत (sīmānt) — periphery
  • Hindi: उपांत (upānt) — periphery
  • Hindi: सिवान (sivān) — periphery
  • Hindi: हवाली (havālī) — periphery
  • Hindi: किनारा (kinārā) — periphery
  • Hungarian: külváros — periphery
  • Icelandic: útjaðar — periphery
  • Italian: periferia — periphery
  • Khiamniungan Naga: ājâilè — periphery
  • Norwegian: utkant — periphery
  • Portuguese: periferia — periphery
  • Russian: окра́ина (okráina) — periphery
  • Spanish: afueras — periphery
  • Swedish: utkant — periphery