Cookouts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Outdoor events focused on grilling food in a communal atmosphere, typically involving friends or family gathering to enjoy meals together
2. Informal gatherings where individuals prepare and share grilled dishes outdoors, enhancing social interaction among participants
3. Events held outside where people grill food and enjoy eating together in a casual setting

Etymology: "Cookouts" is simply the plural of "cookout," a noun formed from the verb "cook" and the adverb "out," joined into a compound. The pattern is old and productive in English: "cook" meant to prepare food by heat, and "out" added the sense of taking that activity into the open air, so a cookout is a meal cooked outside rather than in a kitchen. The plural takes the ordinary -s ending, so one gathering is a cookout and several are cookouts. The compound follows the same logic as other English pairings of a verb with "out," such as "hangout" or "lookout," where the particle turns an activity into a place or event.

Synonyms: barbecues, picnics, grill parties, cookouts, outdoor meals