come out

verb

came out; come out; coming out; comes out
Synonyms of come outnext

intransitive verb

1
a
: to appear after being hidden
As it got dark, the stars came out.
b
: to become available
The show's new season comes out next month.
a new magazine has come out
c
: to become known or evident
The truth finally came out.
Their pride came out in their refusal to accept help.
2
a
: to declare oneself especially in public utterance
came out in favor of the proposal
Some former supporters have come out against him.
b
: to say openly
Why don't you come out and say what you really think?
3
a
: to turn out in an outcome : end up
Everything came out all right.
They were confident they'd come out on top.
b
used to describe the quality something has when finished
The photos came out blurry.
4
: to make a debut
5
a
: to openly declare one's sexual orientation or gender identity
came out as bisexual
decided to come out to her family
b
: to openly declare something about oneself previously kept hidden
often used with as
… blew his cover and came out as a CIA agent …William Prochnau
6
: to be said, expressed, or understood in a particular way
That's not what I meant. It didn't come out right.
coming-out noun
see also:

Examples of come out in a Sentence

in the end everything came out OK come out, come out wherever you are!
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
King came out in support of the data center after the City Council approved a $6 billion series of tax breaks for the project. Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026 What’s important is that, with some help from the Brewers, Contreras came out of Tuesday night without needing to explain his actions to the MLB judiciary. Steve Buckley, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026 The Granbury City Council chambers was nearly overflowing with people Tuesday evening as residents came out to speak on the agenda items and voice their disapproval and disappointment. Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026 The air coming out of the AI trade balloon, in other words, is a rare opportunity for investors to buy the dip. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for come out

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of come out was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Come out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20out. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

come out

verb
1
: to come into public view
2
: to turn out to be
everything came out all right

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