1
as in to cope
to meet one's day-to-day needs
we're not rich, but we're making out all right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to understand
to have a clear idea of
I can't quite make out what she is trying to say
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to pretend
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
he tried to make out that he didn't mind losing his job, but friends suspected he was desperately worried
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to derive
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
as best as I can make out, the police were informed of the incident but didn't think it was worth investigating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of make out
The camera then cuts to them making out at a bar in Mexico and again in a car.
—
Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Only now, studying Grejo’s face for any signal that the trigger was about to be pulled, did Adi finally make out the tattoos overspreading it.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Robbie reinvented the naked dress on Monday, stepping out in Los Angeles in a thong-baring LBD made out of nothing but sheer black lace.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 27 Jan. 2026
The vehicle, as tends to be the case with teases like this, is covered in a camouflage wrap, its still possible to make out some intriguing details.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for make out
Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Only now, studying Grejo’s face for any signal that the trigger was about to be pulled, did Adi finally make out the tattoos overspreading it.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Robbie reinvented the naked dress on Monday, stepping out in Los Angeles in a thong-baring LBD made out of nothing but sheer black lace.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 27 Jan. 2026
The vehicle, as tends to be the case with teases like this, is covered in a camouflage wrap, its still possible to make out some intriguing details.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for make out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make out
Verb
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But at the same time, this is a group of players who coped admirably with the pressure of the title race two seasons ago, winning 16, drawing one and losing one of their final 18 Premier League matches, scoring 54 goals in the process.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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In the latest season, still coping with the emotional fallout of his wife’s passing, Jimmy is now about to become an empty nester as his daughter readies her path to college.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Used by more than just psychiatrists, the DSM is considered the very foundation of how mental health issues are understood.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
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Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images MONTREAL — Cole Caufield arrived for his on-air interview between the second and third periods Tuesday night understanding the exact situation in which his Montreal Canadiens found themselves.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To pretend as if everyone doesn’t recognize him.—
Mirin Fader,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Parents reported that their children loved playing with the original Nékojita FuFu, pretending to fan their faces and blow-dry their hair.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At the core of this approach is a carbon shell derived from covalent organic frameworks (COFs).—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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Skinny Pedro’s obsession might therefore derive from some sort of insanity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Coming from both the Sun and also omnidirectionally from elsewhere across the Universe, these cosmic rays all behaved the same way normal particles do on Earth, except were at significantly greater energies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
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Some of Thursday’s decline was related to Wall Street not being happy with how much the company was spending on investments for the future (capital expenditures), and the cloud business Azure may not have done as well as some hoped.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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About 80 warming centers were opened across the state, known as one of the nation's poorest.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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In other words, getting hit by the single most energetic particle presently known in all the Universe would have no noticeable effect on you at all.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Most recently, in 1995, voters there only narrowly decided to remain.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Her parents pay for her apartment in a Brooklyn brownstone, and her biggest inconvenience seems to be that her sister has decided to live there, too — in the spare bedroom that’s not even in use.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But this can be tricky to decipher without a medical degree.—
Korin Miller,
Flow Space,
21 Jan. 2026
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So, the thinking went, every costume, prop, and line reading is there for a reason, infinite symbolism scattered across the frame for anyone determined enough to decipher it.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Make out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make%20out. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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