come out

verb

came out; come out; coming out; comes out

intransitive verb

1
a
: to come into public view : make a public appearance
a new magazine has come out
b
: to become evident
his pride came out in his refusal to accept help
2
: to declare oneself especially in public utterance
came out in favor of the proposal
3
: to turn out in an outcome : end up
everything came out all right
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 agentWilliam Prochnau
coming-out noun
Phrases
come out with
1
: to give expression to
came out with a new proposal
2

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.
The Esports World Cup kind of came out of nowhere in 2024 to instantly become the biggest thing in the world of esports. Mike Stubbs, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 Marvel’s first homosexual superhero! — 13 years before Northstar officially came out of the closet in 1992. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025 Except this time, Cashman came out and said what was on his mind when asked how the Yankees will try to upgrade before the July 31 trade deadline. Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 10 July 2025 Whatever deals come out of this year’s billionaire summer camp are likely to be less about building empires than guarding flanks — or selling out to private-equity firms willing to manage the decline. Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 10 July 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 14 Jul. 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
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