Outing/Talk

The word is used in both meanings in both American and British English --Mjausson

Rose, how come the second meaning of outing is now a noun? I've usually heard it used as a verb, as indeed it is within that entry. Is it used as a noun more often, in your experience? --Mjausson

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This is the same as: to find is a verb, but the present participle finding is a noun. Therefore, in the sentence, "Finding fossils is a great hobby." finding is a noun. Just like outing is the act of ..., so finding is the act of.... Such words are nouns. Compare: create (verb), creation (noun). Again, creation is the act of.... Here, I think it is more clear that creation is a noun. If outing were a verb, one could run through (conjugate) the present tense, like find. Compare:

      First Person Singular    I find                 I outing
      Second Person Singular You find               You outing
      Third Person Singular  He/She finds        He/She outings
      
      First Person Plural     We find            We outing
      Second Person Plural   You find           You outing
      Third Person Plural   They find          They outing 

If outing is used this way either in Britain or America, I would be surprised to hear it.
Compare:

       I out
     You out
 He/She outs

     We out
    You out
   They out 

For this reason I think out is the verb. To complicate matters, this present participle outing does serve as part of a verb clause in various other tenses, like:

Present Continuous:        I am outing
Past Continuous:           I was outing
Past Anterior Continuous:  I had been outing
Future:                    I will be outing  

In this case they outing is considered part of a complex verb tense or a compound verb,

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OK, I've moved the second meaning to "out" and changed the link from "closeted". --Mjausson