outgoing

Outgoing is an adjective with several related meanings. It can describe movement away from a point of origin, such as a signal, object, or vehicle that is leaving. It can also refer to a person who tends to be sociable and eager to interact with others; in this sense, an outgoing person is extroverted or gregarious.

In communications and logistics, outgoing items are those sent from a system or location. Examples include outgoing mail or messages, and calls that are initiated rather than received. In mail systems, the term is often paired with outbox or outgoing mail server, the latter commonly configured as the SMTP server used to deliver messages.

In transportation, an outgoing flight or train is one that is scheduled to depart toward a destination, as opposed to an incoming service.

Technology and networking use the term to describe data or traffic leaving a device, network, or service. This is frequently described as outbound traffic, particularly in firewall rules or network monitoring. The terms outgoing and outbound are sometimes used interchangeably, though some contexts prefer one term to distinguish direction or boundary crossing.

Finance and administration apply outgoing to expenses or cash flows that leave an organization, as opposed to incoming or inbound items. In accounting and budgeting, distinguishing outgoing from incoming helps describe net cash flow and the movement of resources. Overall, outgoing serves as a versatile descriptor across social, technical, logistical, and financial domains.