Crossword Dictionary
outlet
outlet, outlets - n
a passage for escape or discharge
release, outlet, vent - n
activity that frees or expresses creative energy or emotion; "she had no other outlet for her feelings"; "he gave vent to his anger"
Any hole or opening that allows water or gas to get out is an outlet. The place where water runs out of a lake and into a river is one example of an outlet.
When you need to charge your laptop, you plug it into an electrical outlet, which gets its name from the idea that electricity comes out of it, just as water flows out of a river outlet. Outlet is also used to mean "store that sells discounted goods" and "a way to express yourself emotionally creatively." Dancing might be your outlet, for example — the way you let your feelings and creativity out.