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Glite Dictionary
out and away

out and away

6.2
Far better than the others
  • idiom
translation icon : con mucho
  • That solution is out and away the most effective among all the options.

Examples

  • She is out and away the best player on the team.

  • The new design is out and away better than anything we've seen before.

  • Her performance was out and away the highlight of the evening.

  • This book is out and away my favorite of the year!

  • The runner finished the race out and away from her competitors.

  • The company's profits increased out and away from last year's figures.

  • His performance was out and away better than anyone else's in the contest.

Synonyms

a long way
vsout and away
255 3.6

To make a big difference

compares amounts or degrees directly rather than effect size
by far
vsout and away
156 2.5

Shows that something is much better or more important than others

is similar but expresses large comparative degree generally
in a big way
vsout and away
38 3.5

To a great degree and in an impressive way

focuses on degree compared to others rather than grand scale
far and away
vsout and away
14 3.7

By a lot more than others

is like that but more intense and emphatic in tone
by a long way
vsout and away
  • UK
1 3.0

By a much larger amount than others

is the same idea but phrased differently to show margin

Antonyms

close
∞ 1.3

Having a strong friendly relationship with someone

narrowly
68 4.1

In a strict, limited way that allows few exceptions

How Much Ahead

out and away
6.2
by a long way
  • UK
1 3.0
by a long shot
  • Informal
9 4.1
narrowly
68 4.1

Surface Forms

out and away positive

Morphology

out + and + away

The sense 'by a considerable margin' can be partially inferred because both 'out' and 'away' convey distance/separation and the conjunction reinforces that sense, so a learner could guess a meaning related to being far ahead. However, the phrase functions as a fixed colloquial intensifier equivalent to 'by far', a pragmatic/idiomatic use that is not fully predictable from the parts for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase out and away paints a simple picture of someone who is out of the group and already away ahead, like a runner far in front. That's why it means 'by a lot'.