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

That sum is composed of both pure purchases and equivalent units made out of the nearly half-billion plays its songs racked up on platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify during its first week of availability, though the majority of that sizable figure comes from streaming activity. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

The decision was reportedly made out of respect for how big the night was. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 26 May 2026

The ear cushions ensure a snug fit, and the headphones themselves are made out of recycled plastic, which is sure to draw in those who are environmentally conscious. —George Yang, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026

For those reasons, along with the air pollution effects, many researchers argue that ethanol isn’t as green a fuel as it is sometimes made out to be. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 22 May 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