outlet
Other forms: outlets
Any hole or opening that allows water or gas to get out is an outlet. The place where water runs out of a lake and into a river is one example of an outlet.
When you need to charge your laptop, you plug it into an electrical outlet, which gets its name from the idea that electricity comes out of it, just as water flows out of a river outlet. Outlet is also used to mean "store that sells discounted goods" and "a way to express yourself emotionally creatively." Dancing might be your outlet, for example — the way you let your feelings and creativity out.
Definitions of outlet
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an opening that permits escape or release
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receptacle providing a place in a wiring system where current can be taken to run electrical devices
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synonyms:
electric outlet, electric receptacle, electrical outlet, wall plug, wall socket
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types:
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point, power point
a wall socket
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type of:
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receptacle
an electrical (or electronic) fitting that is connected to a source of power and equipped to receive an insert
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point, power point
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activity that frees or expresses creative energy or emotion
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a place of business for retailing goods
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synonyms:
mercantile establishment, retail store, sales outlet
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types:
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country store, general store, trading post
a retail store serving a sparsely populated region; usually stocked with a wide variety of merchandise
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department store, emporium
a large retail store organized into departments offering a variety of merchandise; commonly part of a retail chain
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discount house, discount store, discounter, wholesale house
a sales outlet offering goods at a discounted price
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market, market place, marketplace, mart
an area in a town where a public mercantile establishment is set up
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center, mall, plaza, shopping center, shopping centre, shopping mall
mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace
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shop, store
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
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strip mall
a mercantile establishment consisting of a row of various stores and business and restaurants along a road or busy street; usually opening on a parking lot
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agora, public square
a place of assembly for the people in ancient Greece
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bakehouse, bakery, bakeshop
a workplace where baked goods (breads and cakes and pastries) are produced or sold
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barbershop
a shop where men can get their hair cut
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bazaar, bazar
a shop where a variety of goods are sold
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bazaar, bazar
a street of small shops (especially in the Orient)
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betting shop
a licensed bookmaker's shop that is not at the race track
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bodega
a small Hispanic shop selling wine and groceries
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bookshop, bookstall, bookstore
a shop where books are sold
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booth
a small shop at a fair; for selling goods or entertainment
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boutique, dress shop
a shop that sells women's clothes and jewelry
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building supply house, building supply store
a store where builders can purchase materials for building houses and related structures
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butcher shop, meat market
a shop in which meat and poultry (and sometimes fish) are sold
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canteen
sells food and personal items to personnel at an institution or school or camp etc.
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chain store
one of a chain of retail stores under the same management and selling the same merchandise
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cleaners, dry cleaners
shop where dry cleaning is done
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clothing store, haberdashery, haberdashery store, mens store
a store where men's clothes are sold
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commissary
a retail store that sells equipment and provisions (usually to military personnel)
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computer store
a store that sells computers to the small businessperson or personal user
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candy store, confectionary, confectionery
a confectioner's shop
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convenience store
a store selling a limited variety of food and pharmaceutical items; open long hours for the convenience of customers
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deli, delicatessen, food shop
a shop selling ready-to-eat food products
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apothecary, apothecary's shop, chemist's, chemist's shop, drugstore, pharmacy
a retail shop where medicine and other articles are sold
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florist, florist shop, flower store
a shop where flowers and ornamental plants are sold
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gift shop, novelty shop
a shop that sells miscellaneous articles appropriate as gifts
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food market, grocery, grocery store, market
a marketplace where groceries are sold
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hardware store, ironmonger, ironmonger's shop
a store selling hardware
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head shop
a shop specializing in articles of interest to drug users
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junk shop
a shop that sells cheap secondhand goods
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hat shop, millinery
shop selling women's hats
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market square, open-air market, open-air marketplace
a public marketplace where food and merchandise is sold
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outfitter
a shop that provides equipment for some specific purpose
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liquor store, off-licence, package store
a store that sells alcoholic beverages for consumption elsewhere
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loan office, pawnbroker's shop, pawnshop
a shop where loans are made with personal property as security
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perfumery
store where perfumes are sold
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pet shop
a shop where pet animals can be purchased
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pizza parlor, pizza shop, pizzeria
a shop where pizzas are made and sold
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fix-it shop, repair shop
a shop specializing in repairs and maintenance
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beauty parlor, beauty parlour, beauty salon, beauty shop, salon
a shop where hairdressers and beauticians work
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shoe shop, shoe store, shoe-shop
a shop where shoes are sold
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slave market
a marketplace where slaves were auctioned off (especially in the southern United States before the American Civil War)
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specialty store
a store that sells only one kind of merchandise
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second-hand store, thriftshop
a shop that sells secondhand goods at reduced prices
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tobacco shop, tobacconist, tobacconist shop
a shop that sells pipes and pipe tobacco and cigars and cigarettes
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toyshop
shop where toys are sold
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agora
the marketplace in ancient Greece
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type of:
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business establishment, place of business
an establishment (a factory or an assembly plant or retail store or warehouse etc.) where business is conducted, goods are made or stored or processed or where services are rendered
Pronunciation
US
/ˈaʊtlɪt/
UK
/ˈaʊtlɛt/
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