come out
verb
came out; come out; coming out; comes out
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
William Prochnau6
: to be said, expressed, or understood in a particular way
That's not what I meant. It didn't come out right.
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
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria came out in support of Waymo’s plans.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
But on election day, several councilmembers, including Erik Bottcher (representing Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) and Shaun Abreu (Morningside Heights, West Harlem), came out in support of all the measures.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2025
As Heather and Whitney hang out in their room, Whitney points out that anytime Lisa’s mad at someone, information on that person subsequently comes out.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Star Wars would come out the year following.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for come out
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.
Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
But on election day, several councilmembers, including Erik Bottcher (representing Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) and Shaun Abreu (Morningside Heights, West Harlem), came out in support of all the measures.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2025
As Heather and Whitney hang out in their room, Whitney points out that anytime Lisa’s mad at someone, information on that person subsequently comes out.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Star Wars would come out the year following.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for come out
Cite this Entry
“Come out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20out. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share