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Glite Dictionary
include me out

include me out

1 9.7
To say you do not want to join something, often as a joke
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : no contar conmigo
  • Whenever there are long meetings, he always asks to be included out.

Examples

  • Just include me out!

  • When the conversation turned to office politics, I said, "include me out."

  • If you're going bungee jumping, please include me out from your plans.

  • If you plan to go out, please include me out.

  • If there's a discussion about budgeting, please include me out.

  • When they planned the surprise party, I told them to include me out of it.

  • If you're going to argue about that issue, you can include me out.

Synonyms

to exclude
vsinclude me out
338 3.0

To keep someone or something out so they are not part of something

is a self choice to refuse involvement rather than an act that keeps others out
to opt out
vsinclude me out
50 3.5

To choose not to take part in something

is informal and humorous refusal rather than a neutral, formal choice
to sit out
vsinclude me out
11 3.3

Not take part in an activity, often because someone is hurt or chooses not to

is a humorous personal refusal, not merely absence for practical reasons
to give a miss
vsinclude me out
  • UK
7.3

Decide not to go to an event or activity

is a playful, joking refusal rather than just casual skipping

How Willing

up for
  • Informal
354 3.9
count me in
  • Informal
19 3.3
maybe
14 3.1
include me out
  • Informal
1 9.7
to pass up
63 4.1

Surface Forms

include me out main

Morphology

include + me + out

The words 'include', 'me' and 'out' give a partial clue because 'out' signals exclusion, but the phrase deliberately inverts the expected 'include me in' and relies on irony/humour. A B1 learner who knows the constituents may guess it means 'leave me out' only with contextual/pragmatic inference rather than straightforward composition, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

The idiom include me out comes from a joke that reverses include me in: imagine someone on a list who then crosses their name off to stay 'out'. So people use it to say 'I don't want to take part'.