Send vs. Sent Out — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on January 24, 2024
Send is a verb meaning to cause something to go or be taken to a particular destination. Sent out is the past tense form of "send out," implying a distribution or dispatch to multiple recipients or locations.
Difference Between Send and Sent Out
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Send typically refers to the act of causing something to go from one place to another. It can be used in various contexts, such as sending a letter, an email, or a parcel. Sent out, on the other hand, often implies a broader distribution or dispatch, such as sending out invitations to a large number of people or sending out troops to different locations. While "send" focuses on the act of dispatching, "sent out" emphasizes the breadth or scope of the distribution.
Send is a versatile word used in both physical and electronic contexts. For example, one can send a package through the mail or send a message via a mobile device. Sent out suggests a more extensive action, often used when something is dispatched to multiple recipients or locations simultaneously. It's commonly used in mass communications or large-scale operations. Send is about the action of dispatching, while sent out emphasizes the scale of distribution.
Send can be used in various tenses depending on the context, including the present, past, and future. It's a fundamental verb in English. In contrast, sent out is specifically the past tense form of "send out," used to describe actions that have already been completed. It's often associated with a completed action of distributing or dispatching. Send is flexible in its tense usage, whereas sent out is fixed in the past.
In a business context, send might refer to the act of sending an individual item or message, such as sending a report to a colleague. Sent out implies a broader action, like when a company sends out a newsletter to its entire mailing list or a new product release announcement to the media. Send is more individual or one-on-one, while sent out is broader and more collective.
Comparison Chart
Definition
To cause to go or be taken to a place
Past tense of dispatching items to many places
ADVERTISEMENT
Context
Individual or one-on-one dispatch
Broad or mass distribution
Tense Flexibility
Can be used in different tenses
Specifically used in the past tense
Scope
Often implies sending to a single recipient
Implies distribution to multiple recipients
Common Usage
Sending emails, packages, etc.
Sending out invitations, newsletters, etc.
Compare with Definitions
Send
Transmit Electronically: Send an email.
I'll send the report via email.
Sent Out
Deploy Widely: Sent out troops.
The general sent out troops to the area.
Send
Dispatch Physically: Send a package.
We need to send these goods to the warehouse.
Sent Out
Issue Officially: Sent out a decree.
The government sent out a new law.
Send
Emit: Send signals.
The satellite sends data back to Earth.
Sent Out
Broadcast: Sent out a broadcast.
The station sent out a weather alert.
Send
To cause to be conveyed by an intermediary to a destination
Send goods by plane.
Sent Out
Mass Communication: Sent out newsletters.
Our club sent out monthly newsletters.
Send
To dispatch, as by a communications medium
Send a message by radio.
Sent Out
Distribute to Many: Sent out flyers.
The store sent out flyers for the sale.
Send
To direct to go on a mission
Sent troops into the Middle East.
Send
To require or enable to go
Sent her children to college.
Send
To direct (a person) to a source of information; refer
Sent the student to the reference section of the library.
Send
To give off (heat, for example); emit or issue
A stove that sends forth great warmth.
Send
To utter or otherwise emit (sound)
Sent forth a cry of pain.
Send
To hit so as to direct or propel with force; drive
The batter sent the ball to left field. The slap on my back sent me staggering.
Send
To cause to take place or occur
We will meet whatever vicissitudes fate may send.
Send
To put or drive into a given state or condition
Horrifying news that sent them into a panic.
Send
(Slang) To transport with delight; carry away
That music really sends me.
Send
To dispatch someone to do an errand or convey a message
Let's send out for hamburgers.
Send
To dispatch a request or order, especially by mail
Send away for a new catalogue.
Send
To transmit a message or messages
The radio operator was still sending when the ship went down.
Send
Variant of scend.
Send
To make something (such as an object or message) go from one place to another (or to someone).
Every day at two o'clock, he sends his secretary out to buy him a coffee.
She sends me a letter every month.
Send
To excite, delight, or thrill (someone).
Send
(transitive) To bring to a certain condition.
Send
To dispatch an agent or messenger to convey a message or do an errand.
Seeing how ill she was, we sent for a doctor at once.
Send
(transitive) To cause to be or to happen; to bring, bring about; (archaic) to visit: (Referring to blessing or reward) To bestow; to grant. (Referring to curse or punishment) To inflict. Sometimes followed by a dependent proposition.
Send
To pitch.
Send
To make a successful ascent of a sport climbing route.
She finally sent the 12a after hours of failed attempts.
Send
To care.
Send
(telecommunications) An operation in which data is transmitted.
Send
An icon (usually on a computer screen and labeled with the word "Send") on which one clicks (with a mouse or its equivalent) or taps to transmit an email or other electronic message.
Good thing I didn't hit send on that resume; I just noticed a bad typo.
Send
(nautical) scend
Send
(Scotland) A messenger, especially one sent to fetch the bride.
Send
A callout or diss usually aimed at a specific person, often in the form of a diss track.
Send
(climbing) A successful ascent of a sport climbing route.
Send
To cause to go in any manner; to dispatch; to commission or direct to go; as, to send a messenger.
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.
I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Servants, sent on messages, stay out somewhat longer than the message requires.
Send
To give motion to; to cause to be borne or carried; to procure the going, transmission, or delivery of; as, to send a message.
He . . . sent letters by posts on horseback.
O send out thy light an thy truth; let them lead me.
Send
To emit; to impel; to cast; to throw; to hurl; as, to send a ball, an arrow, or the like.
Send
To cause to be or to happen; to bestow; to inflict; to grant; - sometimes followed by a dependent proposition.
The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke.
And sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
God send your mission may bring back peace.
Send
To dispatch an agent or messenger to convey a message, or to do an errand.
See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head?
Send
To pitch; as, the ship sends forward so violently as to endanger her masts.
Send
The impulse of a wave by which a vessel is carried bodily.
Send
Cause to go somewhere;
The explosion sent the car flying in the air
She sent her children to camp
He directed all his energies into his dissertation
Send
To cause or order to be taken, directed, or transmitted to another place;
He had sent the dispatches downtown to the proper people and had slept
Send
Cause to be directed or transmitted to another place;
Send me your latest results
I'll mail you the paper when it's written
Send
Transport commercially
Send
Assign to a station
Send
Transfer;
The spy sent the classified information off to Russia
Send
Cause to be admitted; of persons to an institution;
After the second episode, she had to be committed
He was committed to prison
Send
Broadcast over the airwaves, as in radio or television;
We cannot air this X-rated song
Send
Cause to Go: Send someone on a trip.
The company will send me to the conference.
Send
Direct: Send a message.
Send my regards to your family.
Common Curiosities
What is the meaning of sent out?
Sent out refers to the action of distributing or dispatching something to multiple recipients or locations.
What's the past tense of send?
Sent is the past tense of send.
How is sent out used in a sentence?
"The invitations were sent out last week."
What does send mean?
Send means to cause something to go or be taken to a particular place or person.
Is sent out used for physical items only?
No, it can be used for both physical items and electronic communications.
Can we say send out in present tense?
Yes, e.g., "We send out newsletters every month."
Can send be used for emails?
Yes, send is commonly used for transmitting emails.
Is sent out a separate verb from send?
Sent out is the past tense form of the phrase "send out," not a separate verb.
How is send used in a sentence?
"Please send this letter to the office."
What is a synonym for sent out?
Distributed or broadcasted are synonyms.
Can send be used in future tense?
Yes, e.g., "I will send the documents tomorrow."
What is a synonym for send?
Dispatch, transmit, or forward can be synonyms.
Is send formal or informal?
Send can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
Is sent out appropriate for official announcements?
Yes, it's often used for official or broad communications.
Does send imply a single recipient?
Not necessarily, but it often implies a more specific and targeted action than sent out.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Gilligan Controversy vs. Kohlberg Controversy
Next Comparison
Norton vs. Quick HealAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
