ENGLISH
REFERENCE

be out

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford

phr. v.. to be away from your home or office for a short time.

phr. v.. to be absent from a specific location, typically one's home or place of work, for a temporary period.


SIMPLE

I'm sorry, the manager is out for lunch.

CONTEXTUAL

I called her house earlier but her mother said she would be out until six.

COMPLEX

The director will be out for the remainder of the week attending a conference, so please direct all urgent inquiries to his assistant.

Particles
out
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
be + out
Usage

often followed by a time expression or a reason for the absence.

Teaching tip

this is a stative phrasal verb using 'be'; contrast with 'go out' which focuses on the movement or the social activity itself.

Pitfall

He is out to the shop.He is out at the shop.use 'at' or 'in' for the location while being out; 'to' implies the movement which 'be out' does not cover.

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