make out

verb

made out; making out; makes out

transitive verb

1

: to complete (something, such as a printed form) by supplying required information

make out a check

2

: to find or grasp the meaning of

tried to make out what had really happened

3

: to form an opinion or idea about : conclude

how do you make that out

4

a

: to represent as being

made them out to be losers

b

: to pretend to be true

made out that he had never heard of me

5

: to represent or delineate in detail

6

: to see and identify with difficulty or effort : discern

make out a ship through the fog

intransitive verb

1

: get along, fare

how are you making out with the new job

2

a

: to engage in sexual intercourse

b

: neck sense 1

Synonyms of make out

• cope
• do
• make do
• make ends meet
• get along
• get by
• get on
• manage

Examples of make out in a Sentence

we're not rich, but we're making out all right

I can't quite make out what she is trying to say.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ava and Shai naturally did some more making out at Charlie’s, but what did Ariana get up to? — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

Leonard, who made tens of millions in off-the-books, no-show endorsements, made out like a bandit with this settlement, especially since his $51 million contract for the coming season was not voided. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Every year, one of the more popular exhibitions is the crop-art contest, in which residents submit art work made out of pulses, seeds, and legumes to be judged for prizes. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026

Video was shown from the interrogation, but Scott’s answers were hard to make out. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for make out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

make out

verb

1

: to draw up in writing

make out a shopping list

2

: understand sense 1a

how do you make that out

3

: to represent as being

made her out a hero

4

: to see and identify with difficulty

make out a form in the fog

5

: succeed sense 2

make out well in business

6

: to engage in kissing and petting