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

If ceramic cooking pots from different locations were made out of the same clay or decorated similarly, for instance, that would suggest there may have been social linkages between the communities that fashioned the pots. —Ari Daniel, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025

The Serpentine tote and Serpenti Forever top-handle purse came dressed in its Calla pattern, this time executed in a textured weave that took between 16 and 41 hours to make out of up to 216 meters of raffia strands. —Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025

This sweatsuit is made out of thick, ultra-plush fleece fabric and features an oversized hooded sweatshirt with a large kangaroo pouch perfect for snuggling up in on flights. —Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2025

One can make out two seats in the pictures, so the car probably only accommodates two people, given its proportions. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 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