be out of town

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "be out of town" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate that someone is not present in their usual location, typically referring to being away from home or a specific place. Example: "I won't be able to attend the meeting tomorrow because I will be out of town for a family event."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

Dr. Motte will be out of town.

The New York Times - Arts

"They can be out of town.

The New York Times

That means the Yankees must be out of town.

The New York Times - Sports

Guest lectures Dexter will be out of town the week of 3/18.

Cornell University

But a child doesn't need to be out of town to be a little distant.

The New York Times

When Sarnoff arrived at 202 Green St., Farnsworth happened to be out of town on business.

MIT Technology Review

Or they schedule important meetings when you happen to be out of town.

Harvard Business Review

"A lot of our regular customers have told us they will be out of town".

The New York Times - Food

Guide books warned the tourists who dared to visit to be out of town by 3pm.

The Guardian - Travel

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

2 human-written examples

Rather than try to defend the army, both elected leaders found pressing needs to be out-of-town.

The Economist

(When Hensley was unavailable last year for Sorry, his character was simply said to be out-of-town doing a show).

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "be out of town", ensure the context clearly indicates the usual location you are referring to. For example, 'I will be out of town next week' implies you will be away from your home or usual place of work.

Common error

Avoid using incorrect tenses with "be out of town". For example, instead of saying "I am out of town yesterday", use the correct past tense: "I was out of town yesterday".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "be out of town" functions as a predicate adjective phrase, describing a state of being away from one's usual place of residence or work. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Academia

15%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "be out of town" is a common and grammatically correct way to express someone's temporary absence from their usual location, as confirmed by Ludwig. It functions as a predicate adjective phrase with a neutral register, making it suitable for various contexts. Usage is most frequent in news and media, but also appears in academic and scientific sources. When using this phrase, ensure the context clearly defines the location from which someone is absent. For alternative phrasing, consider options like "be away from town" or "be traveling", depending on the specific context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

be away from town

Replaces "out of" with "away from", maintaining the core meaning of being absent from the town.

be absent from the city

Substitutes "town" with "city" and "out of" with "absent from", suitable for urban contexts.

be out of the area

A more general term, indicating absence from the local vicinity.

be traveling

Focuses on the act of traveling, implying absence from the usual location.

be on a trip

Highlights that the person is on a journey, hence not in town.

be away on business

Specifies the reason for being away, adding context.

be visiting elsewhere

Emphasizes that the person is visiting another place.

be on vacation

Specifies the reason for absence as a holiday.

be offsite

A more formal term, indicating absence from a particular site or location.

be out of station

Indicates that someone is not at their usual post or station.

FAQs

How do I use "be out of town" in a sentence?

You can use "be out of town" to indicate that someone is away from their usual place of residence or work. For example, "I will "be out of town" next week for a conference."

What's a more formal alternative to "be out of town"?

In formal contexts, you might use phrases like "be away on business" or "be offsite" to indicate someone's absence.

What can I say instead of "be out of town" when someone is on vacation?

If someone is on vacation, you can say they "be on vacation" or "be traveling" instead of "be out of town".

Is it correct to say "be out of the city" instead of "be out of town"?

Yes, "be out of the city" is correct and can be used interchangeably with "be out of town", especially when referring to urban areas.