English

Verb

stand out ‎(third-person singular simple present stands out, present participle standing out, simple past and past participle stood out)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To be obvious or conspicuous, in contrast to one's surroundings.

   Tourist guides often carry umbrellas so that they stand out in a crowd.

   • 1918, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot Chapter VIII

     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.

2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To be extraordinary and different or to have features and qualities which make someone or something special.

   She stood out from the other candidates and was offered the job.

   • 2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2 - 0 Wigan”, in BBC Sport:

     The Scottish midfielder had an impressive game for Villa and his passing and vision stood out throughout.

   • 2013 June 7, Joseph Stiglitz, “Globalisation is about taxes too”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 19:

     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.

3. (nautical) To sail in a direction away from shore.
   • 2008, Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, Penguin 2015, p. 23:

     The next day the breeze freshened and the Ibis duly stood out to sea.

Related terms

• stand-out
• outstanding

Translations