come out

verb

came out; come out; coming out; comes out

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
Phrases
come out with
1
: to give expression to
came out with a new proposal
2
: to publish or produce (something available to the public)
came out with a new volume/model

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.
Putting it in context, when the first season came out, the iPhone didn’t exist. Lynette Rice, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025 News coming out of this administration feels like a mile a minute, and comments the president made months ago are easily buried in the deluge. Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025 Ember Leonara, 36, tells Rolling Stone that coming out as transgender this year led to painful rifts in her life. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025 Even fellow Republicans have come out against the idea, including Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025 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 13 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

come out

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

More from Merriam-Webster on come out

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!