Synonyms of make out

make out

verb

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

• cope
• do
• make do
• make ends meet
• get along
• get by
• get on
• manage
• survive
• make shift
• fare
• shift
• afford
• carry on
• fend for oneself
• eke out
• scrape (by or through)
• last
• scrounge
• contrive
• scrape (out)
• squeeze
• wring
• wrest
• swing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fall short
• fail
• collapse
• decline
• give up
• flounder
• wane
• slump
• fizzle
• peter (out)

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

• understand
• know
• decipher
• see
• recognize
• appreciate
• comprehend
• grasp
• get
• tumble (to)
• realize
• cotton (to or on to)
• catch on (to)
• perceive
• discern
• make
• sense
• pick up on
• conceive
• seize
• dig
• register
• assimilate
• apprehend
• behold
• twig
• catch
• decode
• compass
• intuit
• take in
• grok
• savvy
• cognize
• absorb
• digest
• fathom
• penetrate
• pierce

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• miss
• misunderstand
• mistake
• misread
• misinterpret
• misconstrue
• misperceive
• misconceive
• misapprehend

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

• pretend
• make believe
• make a show
• let on
• make a pretense
• put on an act
• put up a front
• pose
• dissimulate
• dissemble
• act
• play
• put on
• simulate
• affect
• masquerade
• assume
• conceal
• feign
• fake
• impersonate
• profess
• disguise
• camouflage
• sham
• mask
• counterfeit
• playact
• bluff
• feint

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

• derive
• understand
• decide
• conclude
• infer
• think
• deduce
• guess
• reason
• judge
• assume
• extrapolate
• draw a conclusion
• suppose
• speculate
• gather
• read
• ascertain
• find out
• interpret
• surmise
• contemplate
• construe
• rationalize
• conjecture
• philosophize
• dope (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of make out

Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 Deal Leave it to Lenovo to class up the Chromebook in a whole new way, giving it a stunning OLED display, a luxe-feeling all-metal chassis made out of durable aluminum polycarbonate, and incredible AI performance. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026

Jean, of course, isn’t the villain she’s made out to be and, by the end of the film, becomes an ally to Spider-Man. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026

While the sole is much thinner than many of the other options on our list, it’s made out of plush memory foam that cushions the foot with every step. — Kate Donovan, Southern Living, 30 July 2026

And the last thing Americans need right now is another reason not to make out. — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026