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Glite Dictionary
out to

out to

39 6.8
Wanting very much to do something
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : decidido a
  • She is out to prove that her invention can change the world.

So he is only out to help the oligarchy.

Examples

  • NOW, THERE'S A GIRL WHO'S OUT TO CONQUER THE WORLD.

    Lawn Dogs (1997)

  • I'm not out to hurt your family.

    Flywheel (2003)

  • I want to go out to make the world a better place.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Then I hurried to wash up and change so we could go out to eat before it got too late.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • You go out in that field, Homer Macaulay, and you go out to win.

    The Human Comedy (1943)

  • The rebels should instead be viewed as fundamentally pragmatic actors, out to advance political, economic, and strategic interests.

    Academic text (1999)

  • So, today, Domino and her team are out to nab four criminals forforging checks with counterfeit driver's licences.

    Domino (2005)

  • The team is out to win the championship this year.

  • After months of training, he is out to complete the marathon.

Synonyms

bent on
vsout to
55 4.6

Determined to do something even if it is difficult or dangerous

expresses firm intention without implying difficulty or harmfulness
dead set
vsout to
  • Informal
18 6.5

Firmly decided to do something or strongly against doing it

is a strong intention focused on achieving something rather than fixed opposition

Antonyms

indifferent
46 4.4

Not interested or showing no strong feeling about something

unmotivated
8 4.4

Not feeling interest or energy to do something

How Determined

out to
39 6.8
determined
399 2.5
inclined
194 3.8

Surface Forms

out to positive

Morphology

out + to

Although 'out' and 'to' are very frequent words, the meaning 'having a strong intention to do something' is not a straightforward composition of 'out' (location/direction) + 'to' (infinitival or prepositional marker). The expression has a metaphorical/colloquial sense (being 'out' with a goal) that relates to the constituents but is not fully predictable without prior exposure, so it is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Out to comes from the simple image of someone going out and moving to a clear goal, like leaving home with a plan. So it now means 'having a strong intention' or being determined 'to do something'.