What does outcome mean?
An outcome is the result produced by an action, process, decision, or series of events. The word is especially useful when discussing how something ends, whether referring to a completed event such as a negotiation or an anticipated result such as a medical prognosis. It is more neutral than terms such as catastrophe, triumph, or disaster, which carry stronger emotional evaluations, although an outcome may naturally be described as successful, unsuccessful, favourable, or disappointing. In everyday use, people often ask about the outcome of a competition, investigation, treatment, or election. The phrase “outcome of” commonly links the word to a particular process or event. Overall, “outcome” is a clear, general word for the conclusion or consequence of a situation, useful whenever precision about results matters without adding unnecessary drama.
nounThe result of a process, action, or series of events. It can also refer to the final result or consequence of a situation.
- The final result or consequence of an action, process, or situation.
- The result of an attempt, competition, or negotiation.
- The way in which a course of events ends.
"The outcome of the negotiations was a compromise acceptable to both sides."
"Nobody could predict the outcome of the election."
"The surgery had a successful outcome, and the patient recovered fully."
"She remained calm regardless of the outcome."
The plural is used for the separate results of several processes, attempts, or events.
"The research produced several surprising outcomes."
An outcome is the story's ending written by events rather than by an author.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does outcome come from?
“Outcome” was formed in English from the elements “out” and “come,” originally expressing the sense of coming out or result. The compound is attested from the late medieval period and developed into its modern meaning of a final result or consequence. Its form reflects a broader English tendency to form nouns with “out,” as seen in related words such as “outgoing” and “outset,” and it parallels cognates in languages including German as Ausgang and Dutch as uitkomst.
Related word forms
How outcome is actually used
Neutral and widely used in formal and informal contexts. It often suggests the settled or final result of a process, although it can also refer to a result that is merely probable.
Easily confused with outcome
An outcome is the result that has occurred or may occur, whereas an outlook is a prospect or view of what lies ahead.