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

The technical is to make a vegan chocolate sponge cake and ganache with frosting that seems like it is made out of the leftover slime from a kindergartner’s slumber party. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026

Think T-shirts, sweatpants, clothes made out of unorthodox materials like paper, or even more exciting, recognizable items like sweaters or coats turned into new works. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2026

But Turek knows the race against Hinson is making out to be one of the most competitive Senate contests in the country. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

Four of the mummified corpses also tested positive for alcohol, which likely came from drinking chicha, a beer made out of maize. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 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