makes out

present tense third-person singular of make out
1
2
3
4
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

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 makes out 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
Verb
  • Uruguay knows avoiding defeat will be enough to progress as either the runner-up or one of the lucky third-place finishers.
    Ben Church, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
  • Both Sydney’s and Carmy’s reactions are subdued — neither knows how to process it.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Beauty, then, arises from the pain and struggle of experiencing oneself as a site of divine truancy, and ugly is that which pretends to be directly equivalent to the soul, God, etc.
    Esther Yi, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
  • The person on the phone pretends to be IT support and tries to convince the employee to install remote desktop software.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
Verb
  • Tippecanoe River Winamac, Indiana Affectionately called Tippy by locals, the Tippecanoe River in northern Indiana derives its name from the Miami Indian word for buffalo fish.
    Kelsey Yandura, Midwest Living, 17 June 2026
  • Soccer derives its beauty from its simplicity.
    Leander Schaerlaeckens June 8, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Verb
  • Mark Thompson does the costume and scenic design, with lighting by Howard Harrison.
    R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • The Pitt does this quite literally and very well.
    Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Pochettino is not a man who understands why anybody would want to wait.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026
  • The company has 23 quantum systems installed at research institutes, enterprises, and high-performance computing centers and understands the need and urgency for fault-tolerant quantum computers.
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • Someone decides what counts as cultivation and what counts as nuisance, what gets watered and what gets pulled, what belongs in the planned bed and what must be removed before visitors arrive.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 June 2026
  • Complaints against Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank go to the Israeli military's own prosecution service — the Military Advocate General — which decides whether to open an investigation, and whether any soldier should be charged.
    Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • In urban areas, municipal departments run things, while the Texas Department of Public Safety frequently manages highway collisions.
    William Jones, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2026
  • The nonprofit public-private partnership manages the municipal district with services that include infrastructure planning, community engagement and more.
    Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 29 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Makes out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/makes%20out. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster