# outside job

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/outside-job
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A crime or other illicit action committed by an individual not connected or associated with the premises or organization in which it took place.

## Examples

- The police believe the robbery was an outside job.
- Security footage showed a stranger entering the building, confirming that the theft was an outside job.
- The investigators concluded that the sophisticated breach of the firm's digital vault was undoubtedly an outside job, given the lack of internal access logs.

## Origin

From *outside* + *job*, formed by analogy with the pre-existing term *inside job*.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.