Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
outward-bound

outward-bound

1 5.2
Going away from a place, like a ship or train starting its journey
  • adjective
  • /ˈaʊt.wɚd.baʊnd/
translation icon : en dirección a fuera
  • The H.M.S. ChurchiII, outward bound.

Examples

  • As the sun set, the outward-bound ship set sail from the bustling harbor, leaving the city behind.

  • To gauge the through-migration for the port of Bremen/Bremerhaven, the figures of outward-bound and inward-bound migration have to be added up, though return migrants probably spent less time in the city and thus were of less economic value to the small traders and innkeepers.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The passengers boarded the outward-bound train, excited for their journey to the coast.

  • An outward-bound flight to New York took off just after dawn, carrying travelers from all over the world.

Synonyms

outbound
vsoutward-bound
11 3.5

Moving away from a place, usually from the starting point

focuses on leaving at the first stage from a specific port or city
outward
vsoutward-bound
8 2.4

Going away from a place, usually at the start of a journey

is specifically about leaving on the first stage of a journey
departing
vsoutward-bound
1.3

About to leave a place or just left it

refers to the first movement from a port or city rather than timing

Antonyms

inbound
24 3.3

Moving toward a place like a city or station

Surface Forms

outward-bound positive

Morphology

outward-bound = outward + bound (transparent) = outward + bound

The adjective is a straightforward combination of 'outward' (away) and 'bound' (heading), so the meaning 'going away' is directly predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Outward-bound combines outward meaning 'away' or 'towards the outside' and bound meaning 'going to', as in homeward-bound or northbound. So outward-bound describes a ship, train, or cargo that is 'leaving a place' and starting its journey away from a port or city.