: being such completely at all times, in every way, or from every point of view
an out-and-out fraud

Examples of out-and-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The team felt that copyrighting the book’s compilation would provide peace of mind against out-and-out reproduction of the work. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024 In recent seasons, the Red Devils have struggled to sign an out-and-out winger for the right hand side that has lived up to expectations. Liam Canning, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024 And others said that happiness was a matter of out-and-out struggle, which would last eternally. . . Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 When Endrick finally becomes a Madrid player, however, the Italian will have the option of fielding an out-and-out striker without mentioning the possibility of Kylian Mbappe arriving on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 One reason for these divergent results is that New Hampshire primary voters are less likely to identify as out-and-out Republicans than Iowa caucusgoers. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2024 And for audiences of any age, there is something about out-and-out, unapologetic silliness that forms a rebuke to the ordinary. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2023 Biden administration officials have stressed that despite current tension, China is a competitor rather than an out-and-out enemy. Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner, 13 Nov. 2023 When Virginia Democrats didn’t lose a statewide election from 2012 through 2020, the conventional wisdom shifted toward viewing Virginia as an out-and-out blue state. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 26 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'out-and-out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of out-and-out was in 1813

Dictionary Entries Near out-and-out

Cite this Entry

“Out-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out-and-out. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

out-and-out

adjective
ˌau̇t-ᵊn-ˈ(d)au̇t
: being exactly what is stated : complete, thoroughgoing
an out-and-out crook

More from Merriam-Webster on out-and-out

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