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

• 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

On the other hand, far more controversial CEOs such as Adam Neumann at WeWork and Dennis Kozlowski at Tyco made out lavishly, misappropriating funds from their corporate treasuries while steering their companies into the ground. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025

The wedding cake featuring a large creation of Boo, the couple's dog which was made out of sugar. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025

In the video, Styles was spotted dancing and making out with Kenny in the middle of a crowd. —Daniela Avila, People.com, 30 June 2025

So sharp are his ears, when pricked up, that somebody, way back in the Leonard genealogy, must have made out with a lynx. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025

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