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

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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

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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

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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

The story centers on the families left behind, tracing how a mother copes with her daughter’s absence.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of copes

Verb

Each person knows it, knows that the others know it, and so on indefinitely.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
But the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator knows his unit must show urgency and improvement Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders after a rude wake-up call in the season opener.

— Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of knows

Verb

Even a tween or teen who pretends not to enjoy Advent calendars anymore can’t resist the allure of discovering which emotional support pal will pop out.

— Chaunie Brusie, Parents, 17 Sep. 2026
However, because that group is about 50% white, Dan Le Batard has an issue — or pretends to.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of pretends

Verb

This means Voraotsady’s husband, Ash Jones — who also does the bookkeeping — does the grocery shopping on Sunday mornings.

— Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Frank McCourt bought the team before the 2004 season and brought in his own people, as a new owner often does.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of does

Verb

The former head of Google China, who has also held senior executive roles at Microsoft and Apple, understands intimately how Silicon Valley leaders think.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Sacramento State’s team, to a man, understands who and what is invading Hornet Stadium on Saturday night on ESPN, a thundering herd of buffalo rooted in tradition in the form of the North Dakota State Bison.

— Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of understands

Verb

The district, which governs most public roads in Ada County, often manages traffic and decides, for example, when to widen local streets.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 17 Sep. 2026
All 23 contestants will start as Faithfuls before Cumming decides which (typically) three players will become Traitors.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of decides

Verb

That capacity will be needed as Britain manages several submarine programs at the same time.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
Andra Bennett, a spokesperson for the city’s public events department, which manages the convention center, said the demolition of the center’s arena is the next phase in a project that has spanned two decades.

— Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026