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

By the end, the vibe had apparently gotten away from him slightly — a couple in the audience was making out. —Kennedy French, Variety, 12 Apr. 2026

It’s made out of easy-to-clean nylon and comes in a whopping 50 different colors and patterns. —Rebecca Shinners, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026

Building on the bones of Detroit techno and electro, his best records are hallucinogenic portals into worlds made out of 8-bit textures, rusty bleeps, and the occasional forlorn piano or sandpapery vocal sample. —Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 9 Apr. 2026

Buildings would be made out of concrete, glass and metal. —Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 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