noun · verb · 4 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:/ˈaʊtskɝts/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈaʊtskɜːts/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AW1 T S K ER2 T S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The area surrounding a city or town; suburb.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: plural, plural-normally
Examples
He lived on the outskirts of Paris for a time.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
plural of outskirt
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, plural
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
third-person singular simple present indicative of outskirt
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
outlying areas (as of a city or town)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
they lived on the outskirts of Houston
they mingled in the outskirts of the crowd
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: section
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úd Proto-Germanic *ūt Proto-Germanic *ūt- Old English ūt- Middle English ut- English out- English skirts English outskirts From out- + skirts.
Across languages
Translations
45 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Azerbaijani:
ucqar
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Azerbaijani:
kənar
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Azerbaijani:
qıraq
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Belarusian:
ускра́іна
(uskráina)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Bulgarian:
покрайнина
(pokrajnina)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Catalan:
afores
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Catalan:
extraradi
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Chinese Mandarin:
郊外
(jiāowài)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Chinese Mandarin:
郊區 /郊区
(jiāoqū)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Finnish:
laitakaupunki
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Finnish:
esikaupunki
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Finnish:
laitamat
— the edges or areas around a city or town
French:
banlieue
— the edges or areas around a city or town
German:
Stadtrand
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Greek:
περίχωρα
(períchora)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Hungarian:
külváros
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Irish:
ciumhais
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Irish:
imeachtar
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Italian:
periferia
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Japanese:
郊外
(kōgai)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Japanese:
町外れ
(machihazure)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Korean:
교외
(gyooe)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Korean:
근교
(geun'gyo)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Latvian:
nomale
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Latvian:
priekšpilsēta
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Persian:
حوالی
(havâli)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Polish:
peryferie
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Portuguese:
periferia
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Portuguese:
arrabalde
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Portuguese:
subúrbio
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Portuguese:
arredores
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Russian:
окра́ина
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Russian:
предме́стья
(predméstʹja)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Spanish:
afueras
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Spanish:
alrededores
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Spanish:
extrarradio
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Spanish:
arrabal
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Spanish:
periferia
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Spanish:
aledaño
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Spanish:
aledaños
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Swedish:
utkant
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Swedish:
utkanter
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Telugu:
శివార్లు
(śivārlu)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Ottoman Turkish:
دامن
(daman)
— the edges or areas around a city or town
Welsh:
cyrion
— the edges or areas around a city or town