# book out

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/book-out
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to reserve all the rooms in a hotel or all the seats in a place so that none are left for others.

For teachers: to reserve a venue, accommodation, or service to its full capacity, rendering it unavailable to other parties.

## Examples

- The hotel is booked out for the wedding.
- We tried to get a table at the new restaurant, but they were booked out weeks in advance.
- The conference centre was completely booked out by the tech firm, forcing other organizations to seek alternative venues for their annual summits.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The hotel is book out." but "The hotel is booked out." — when describing the state of the hotel, you must use the past participle 'booked'.

## Usage notes

- often used in the passive voice ('be booked out') to describe a state of unavailability.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'fully booked' (an adjective phrase) and 'book up' (a near-synonym often used for schedules or time slots); 'book out' is particularly common in British and Australian English.

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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.