Dictionary

stand out en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. To jut out, protrude (from a surface etc.).
2. (intransitive) To persist in opposition or resistance (against something); to refuse to comply (with someone).
3. (intransitive) To sail in a direction away from shore.
   • One morning in the early grey of the dawn we stood out to sea to troll for mackerel. 1881, P. Chr. Asbjörnsen [i.e., Peter Christen Asbjørnsen], translated by H. L. Brækstad, Round the Yule Log. Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, →OCLC, page 181:
   • Indeed he had no notion that Madame de Seidlits, or her daughter, had a serious intention of standing out against a match which he thought so advantageous to both. 1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt, published 2008, page 131:
   • The next day the breeze freshened and the Ibis duly stood out to sea. 2008, Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, Penguin, published 2015, page 23:
4. (obsolete) To maintain, to persist in claiming (that).
   • She stood out that she was not Edward's mistress until Leonora said that she had seen Edwrad coming out of her room at an advanced hour of the night. 1915, Ford Madox Hueffer [i.e., Ford Madox Ford], chapter IV, in The Good Soldier […], London: John Lane, The Bodley Head; New York, N.Y.: John Lane Company, →OCLC:
5. (intransitive) To be clearly distinguishable; to be obvious, to be easily noticeable, in contrast to the surroundings.
   • Tourist guides often carry umbrellas so that they stand out in a crowd.
   • A ray of light amid all this nonsense was Gwyn Topham's piece in the Guardian, which was timely, measured, accurate and of appropriate tone. That this single report stood out so clearly as an exemplar is a scathing comment in itself on the volumes of drivel surrounding it. 2020 August 26, Nigel Harris, “Comment Special: Catastrophe at Carmont”, in Rail, page 4:
   • The path led straight across the clearing into another forest, lying upon the verge of which I saw a bit of white. It appeared to stand out in marked contrast and incongruity to all its surroundings, and when I stopped to examine it, I found that it was a small strip of muslin—part of the hem of a garment. 1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter VIII, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, (please specify |part=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, 1927, →OCLC:
   • At Stirling, we obtained a wonderful silhouette view of the Wallace Monument, and the dark line of the Ochil Hills, and the castle stood out clearly against the afterglow of the sunset. 1950 January, Arthur F. Beckenham, “With British Railways to the Far North”, in Railway Magazine, page 5:
6. (intransitive, used figuratively) To be prominent or conspicuous; to have special significance.
   • The Scottish midfielder had an impressive game for Villa and his passing and vision stood out throughout. 2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2 – 0 Wigan”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 22 Mar 2017:
   • It is time the international community faced the reality: we have an unmanageable, unfair, distortionary global tax regime. It is a tax system that is pivotal in creating the increasing inequality that marks most advanced countries today – with America standing out in the forefront and the UK not far behind. 2013 June 7, Joseph Stiglitz, “Globalisation is about taxes too”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2021, page 19:
   • She stood out from the other candidates and was offered the job.
   • As an art-oriented teen, she played the flute, guitar and wrote poetry. Amy was also a practising vegetarian at the time, which made her stand out, and she volunteered with a local dolphin training program at the Miami Seaquarium. 2026 July 29, Nicholas Muhoro, “Amy Billig Vanished While Hitchhiking Through Coconut Grove. Then the Calls Began”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 31 Jul 2026:

Forms

Antonyms

blend in · fit in · belong · fit

Deriveds

stand out like dog's balls · stand-out · stand out like a sore thumb · standout · stand out a mile

Hypernyms

differ

Relateds

stick out · outstanding · specify

Synonyms

stick out like a sore thumb · outstand · stick out · stand out · obtrude

Translations (48)

la ēmineō (to be extraordinary and different) · tr göze çarpmak (to be extraordinary and different) · fi pistää silmään (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · fr ressortir (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · fr se démarquer (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · la ēmineō (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · fi erottua joukosta (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · ja 目立つ (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · it saltare agli occhi (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · tr fark edilmek (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · ru выделя́ться (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · es descollar (to be extraordinary and different) · it mettersi in evidenza (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · pt destacar-se (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · pt sobressair (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · eo elstari (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · hu kilátszik (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · tr göze çarpmak (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · hu feltűnik (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · ru вы́делиться (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · ia esser conspicue (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · it dare nell'occhio (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · es hacer figura (to be extraordinary and different) · fi nousta esiin (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · ang þunian (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · de herausragen (to be extraordinary and different) · de herausragen (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · ia esser saliente (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · cmn 引人注目 (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · es sobresalir (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · hu szembeötlik (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · es papelear (to be extraordinary and different) · de herausstechen (to be extraordinary and different) · hu kiemelkedik (to be extraordinary and different) · ro ieși în evidență (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · gl sobresaír (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · hu kimagaslik (to be extraordinary and different) · es destacar (to be extraordinary and different) · pl wyróżniać się (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · de herausstechen (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · it distinguersi (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · fr se détacher (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · es sobresalir (to be extraordinary and different) · es destacarse (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · hu szembetűnik (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · cs vynikat (to be obvious in contrast to one's surroundings) · es hacer papel (to be extraordinary and different) · hu kitűnik (to be extraordinary and different)