What does outgone mean?
Outgone is an uncommon past participle formed from the archaic verb outgo, meaning to go beyond, exceed, or surpass a limit. It occurs principally in formal or literary English, often in constructions that place the action in a completed past context: a person or thing “outwent” another and is therefore “outgone” it. Modern speakers would normally say exceeded, surpassed, or went beyond. Although outgone belongs to the family of outgo, it should not be confused with the much more familiar adjective outgoing, which can describe someone sociable and uninhibited or something directed away from a place or centre. Outgone consequently functions as a marked survival of older English word formation rather than as a common contemporary verb form.
verbThe past participle of outgo, meaning to go beyond, exceed, or surpass a specified limit.
- Gone beyond or exceeded a limit; surpassed.
"The enterprise outgone the expectations of its founders."
"Her achievement outgone the hopes of her teachers."
"The company had outgone the expectations set by the industry."
A literary relic of formal English, outgone survives chiefly in the pattern “outwent” and “outgone.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does outgone come from?
The word was formed in Middle English by combining the prefix out- with the verb go, both of which have Old English origins. Its historical sense was to go beyond or pass beyond a boundary or limit. The past tense outwent and past participle outgone continued this older pattern, although modern usage has largely replaced the verb with surpassed or exceeded.
Related word forms
How outgone is actually used
This form is now rare and sounds archaic or literary. In contemporary English, surpassed, exceeded, or gone beyond is normally preferred.