noun · neutral
outskirts
UK/ˈaʊtskɜːts/US/ˈaʊtskɜrts/OUT·skirts
Band 5-6speakingtask2
the areas that form the outer parts of a town or city
Examples
“Many factories were built on the outskirts of the town.”
“New housing developments are spreading into the outskirts.”
“She grew up on the outskirts of a big city.”
Band 8 sentence
“Many young families choose to live on the outskirts because property is cheaper there and the area is generally quieter than the city centre.”
Collocations
- on the outskirts of (a city/town)
- industrial outskirts
- the outer outskirts
Word family
outskirts noun (plural)outskirt noun (rare, singular)
Common mistakes
in outskirts→on the outskirts
outskirt→outskirts
Say it for a higher band
5countryside→6edge→7+outskirts
Synonyms
periphery
edge
Easily confused
countryside
“They preferred to move to the countryside to raise livestock.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In City & Urban life
Learn it with its set