MAKES OUT Synonyms: 138 Similar and Opposite Words

makes out

verb

present tense third-person singular of make out

as in copes

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

as in knows

to have a clear idea of I can't quite make out what she is trying to say

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pretends

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

as in derives

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

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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 makes out The contemporary media environment makes out-and-out suppression of a book difficult. — Sophia Nguyen, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026 Even Fraser makes out with Rainbeau and Damo. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for makes out

Verb

Hollis buries herself in work in an attempt to escape her complicated grief, while aspiring filmmaker Caroline copes by making snarky remarks and bristling at her mom's efforts to connect.

— Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Gemini copes through logic and distraction, while Pisces feels everything at once.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 May 2026

Definition of copes

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
No one knows all the factors behind the population’s recent boom, although researchers point to recent extreme weather events and climate change, perhaps compounded with a rise in shipping traffic over recent decades.

— Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Definition of knows

Verb

But also, because The Odyssey itself is a kind of Trojan horse, a vessel that pretends to give us an entertaining story from the past while, in fact, exposing uncomfortable truths about the present.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026
The show only pretends to be organized around romantic couples.

— Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026

Definition of pretends

Verb

Today, approximately 85% of the kingdom’s GDP derives from the non-oil economy.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 July 2026
Heritage, by comparison, derives its momentum from a much broader mix of categories, with everything from video games and trading cards to sports memorabilia, coins and fine art contributing to its record-breaking first half.

— Daniel Cassady for ARTnews, Robb Report, 13 July 2026

Definition of derives

Verb

One of the kidnappers, Rodrigo (Humberto Busto), decides that the only way to escape getting caught is to kill Felipe.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Poseidon, upset that Odysseus blinded his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, decides to make his return home difficult and long and wet.

— Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of decides

Verb

Until the grid manages load better, data centers curtail their own, or new supply comes online, calling on emergency power isn't the backup plan.

— Anna Demeo, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
The system manages formation spacing, navigation, and task allocation automatically, allowing crews to focus on tactical decisions.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 July 2026