make out

verb

Definition of make outnext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of make out Decisions made out of fatigue or impatience tend to come back at the worst possible time. — Janet M Harvey, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 My cousin, who thankfully has power of attorney, uncovered checks made out to my brother. — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026 My cousin, who thankfully has power of attorney, uncovered checks made out to the brother. — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 10 July 2026 But the envelope made out to Berent was returned unopened by the Department of State’s Office of General Counsel in May of this year. — Rhoda Feng, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for make out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make out
  1. cope
  2. understand
  3. pretend
  4. derive
  5. do
  6. know
  7. let on
  8. decide
Verb
  • Across Connecticut, families coping with PTSD, chronic pain, depression and treatment-resistant mental health conditions are looking for therapies that offer hope when conventional approaches have fallen short.
    — John R. Gordon, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
  • Ecuador struggled to cope, with Piero Hincapie’s red card for covering his mouth while speaking to Santiago Gimenez bringing the curtains down on a disappointing tournament.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of cope
Verb
  • As with consideration of any new medication, understanding implications, both good and bad, short-term and long-term, need to be fully discussed with any patient and treating physician.
    — Nina Shapiro, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • It’s been understood for years that America’s adversaries and allies alike take a keen interest in how this country practices an imperfect democracy.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 2026
Definition of understand
Verb
  • January 20 – February 18 Fun gets easier when the money boundary is not pretending to be flexible.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
  • Aquarius January 20 – February 18 Fun gets easier when the money boundary is not pretending to be flexible.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026
Definition of pretend
Verb
  • Today, approximately 85% of the kingdom’s GDP derives from the non-oil economy.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 July 2026
  • The director also explains the meaning of the subtitle of her film, Saved by the Beauty of the World, derived from words spoken by the poet.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 July 2026
Definition of derive
Verb
  • The divergence is over whether the worker shortage is improving slowly or still getting worse, and what the Supreme Court should do about it.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • The band is forced into doing take after take in his quest to fully convey his own emotions.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of do
Verb
  • Another gripe for many is the American accents uniformly applied to these characters from Greek mythology when everyone knows that all the glorious empires of Hollywood speak exclusively in British accents.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • On the opposite side of the ball, he could be heard barking orders out during pick-and-roll situations, loudly letting teammates know where the ball-handler was headed.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
Definition of know
Verb
  • On that reading, a building let on a long lease to a tenant with a strong credit rating looks closer to a toll road than to a speculative wager.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 17 June 2026
  • Franco's new followers were quick to flood into the comment section with their suspicions that there was more to the posts than the actor was letting on.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Definition of let on
Verb
  • Sebastian Reader, a 28-year-old from London, has long been fascinated by American culture and decided to make a three-month trip out of the World Cup.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
  • During that time, board members toured multiple potential locations before ultimately deciding not to include one in the final plan.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
Definition of decide

Browse Nearby Words

make-or-break
make out
make over
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Make out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make%20out. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on make out

Nglish: Translation of make out for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All