noun · neutral
outskirts
UK/ˈaʊt.skɜːts/US/ˈaʊt.skɜrts/OUT·skirts
The outer parts or edges of a town or city, often less central and more residential or industrial.
Examples
“They live on the outskirts of the city and commute every day.”
“The factory is located on the outskirts, away from the residential area.”
“I prefer the quiet on the outskirts to the busy city centre.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although our house is on the outskirts, we appreciate the green spaces and shorter commute compared with the city centre.”
Collocations
- on the outskirts
- the outskirts of [city]
Word family
Common mistakes
They live in outskirts of Hanoi.→They live on the outskirts of Hanoi.
He lives in the outside of the city.→He lives on the outskirts of the city.
Say it for a higher band
5edge→6outlying area→7+outskirts
Synonyms
outlying area
Easily confused
suburb
“They moved to a quiet suburb near the river.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Hometown & Housing
Learn it with its set