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output

OWT-put /ˈaʊt.pʊt/

nounverbB1IELTSTOEFLGREGMAT

generalbusinessacademic

The total quantity of goods, services, or work produced by a person, factory, or entire economy.

Measures concrete physical or quantitative volume produced from manufacturing or economic inputs.

The story behind the word. As steam-powered machinery transformed British mills during the Industrial Revolution, managers needed a word for the physical cloth or coal 'put out' by a mill in a single shift. They simply joined 'out' and 'put'. It became a foundational pillar of modern economic measurement like Gross Domestic Product.

Word relationships

production: 'Production' refers to the manufacturing process, while 'output' refers to the final physical volume produced.
yield: 'Yield' emphasizes return percentage or efficiency, while 'output' emphasizes raw total volume.

input: Resources, time, or capital put into a process to produce something.

Commonly confused with

outcome: Outcome is the qualitative result of an action, whereas output is the quantitative amount produced.

Word family

outputting (noun): The continuous process of generating production output.

Collocations

economic output
manufacturing output
total output
boost output

Example sentences

"Industrial output expanded rapidly as factories resumed full operating capacity following supply chain delays." Industrial manufacturing (Financial Times)
"Economists track national manufacturing output to gauge whether overall economic activity is growing." Macroeconomic measurement

Memory hook

What a factory PUTS OUT at the end of the assembly line. Physical volume put out by production.

When not to use

Do not confuse with 'income' or 'profit'; output is physical volume or total gross valuation produced.

Fun facts

'Output' was originally coined in iron foundries to describe the exact weight of molten metal put out by a furnace!