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

While their methods never panned out, those of modern science finally have. —Victoria Corless, Space.com, 13 May 2025

Safe to say that move didn't exactly pan out how the Angels had hoped. —Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

Health-tech companies have struggled to adapt to a more muted growth environment following the Covid pandemic, and many once promising business models haven’t panned out as planned. —Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 5 May 2025

When that guess didn't pan out, the misses started to cascade down the board. —Jim Sergent, USA Today, 26 Apr. 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