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panned out; panning out; pans out
Definition of pan out
: 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
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Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
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Time Traveler for pan out
The first known use of pan out was in 1865
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