ENGLISH
REFERENCE

outdoors

n. uncountable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈaʊtˈdɔɹz// UK //aʊtdˈɔːz// out·doors General-service

n. the world outside of buildings, especially in nature. You use this when talking about activities like hiking, camping, or being in the fresh air.

n. the world outside of human-made structures, specifically the natural environment. Usually preceded by the definite article 'the'.


SIMPLE

I love spending time in the great outdoors.

CONTEXTUAL

After working in a windowless office all week, she spent her Saturday enjoying the outdoors.

COMPLEX

The documentary explores how regular exposure to the outdoors can significantly reduce stress levels and improve cognitive function in urban populations.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 1

From out + doors (plural of door), probably as a shortening of out of doors. Alternatively, from outdoor (adjective) + -s (adverbial genitive suffix).

Etymology 2

From outdoor (verb) + -s (third-person singular suffix).

Usage

Almost always functions as the object of a preposition, most commonly 'in' or 'to'.

Pitfall

I like the outdoorI like the outdoorsWhen used as a noun to mean the natural world, the word must be plural and usually takes 'the'.

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