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 of pan out

• prove

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

From beef to diesel, White House efforts to bring down prices — the top concern among midterm voters — have failed so far to pan out. — Riley Beggin, Washington Post, 28 Sep. 2026

The title track’s weird coherence does make some of the lesser tracks feel like experiments that didn’t pan out. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026

That plan didn’t pan out, schedule-wise, but the filmmaker and the artist finally found a way to collaborate. — Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

That didn’t pan out, and Jenkins will not be in Season 2, Batra confirmed to Deadline. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

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