AAAmerican Accent US

go out

No object

This verb takes no object at all.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: go OUT. Saying “GO out” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

A glide appears. Two vowels meet, so American English slips a /w/ between them: “go out” → “go-wout”. You do not insert it deliberately — it falls out of not stopping between the words.

3 meanings

  1. 1

    To leave home for a social activity.

    • “We're going out for dinner on Saturday.”
    • “I haven't gone out on a weeknight in months.”

    Similar: head out

  2. 2

    (Of a light or fire) to stop burning or shining.

    • “The lights went out across the whole block.”

    Similar: die, be extinguished

  3. 3

    To have a romantic relationship with someone.

    • “They went out for about a year.”

    Similar: date

Don’t confuse it with

go off(Of an alarm) to start sounding.

Go OUT is a light or fire stopping. Go OFF is an alarm starting, a bomb exploding, or food spoiling. Opposite directions.

The particle logic

out

Something exits a container, becomes visible, or is exhausted.

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More GO phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

go ahead

To proceed, or to give permission to proceed.

go on

To continue.

go off

(Of an alarm) to start sounding.

go over

To review or examine something carefully.

go through

To experience something difficult.

go back

To return to a place or a previous state.

go along with

To agree to a plan or accept an opinion.

go down

To decrease.

go up

To increase.

go for

To choose or decide on something.

go after

To pursue something or someone you want.

go by

(Of time) to pass.

go out — meaning, examples & how to say it