pan out

verb

panned out; panning out; pans out

intransitive verb

: to happen, end, or develop in a particular way : turn out

I'm really enjoying how this is all panning out now and it is so exciting and intriguing to watch and find out what happens next …

—Gary Neville

especially : succeed

… the signs revealed that the experiment wasn't panning out …

—Ronald Reagan

She [Dixie Hollins] noted that learning about arts and entertainment fills her creative side and works as a great plan B if her goal of working in the medical field doesn't pan out.

—Karin Davis-Thompson

Synonyms

• come out
• fall out
• prove
• shake out
• turn out

Examples of pan out in a Sentence

the eagerly anticipated kayaking trip never panned out

the investment scheme didn't quite pan out

Recent Examples on the Web

Here's a look back at how some signal callers drafted in the past few years have panned out. —Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Reward Employees for Their Questions Encourage employees to ask challenging questions or suggest unconventional ideas, even if those ideas don’t pan out. —Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025

Yes, but: The hopes founders' hopes never pan out, history site Midwest Wanderer reports. —Jason Clayworth, Axios, 14 Apr. 2025

The Pistons traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers but once again, things didn't pan out. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

pan entry 2

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pan out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

pan out

verb

: turn out sense 5

especially : succeed