1
as in coping
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 knowing
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 pretending
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 deriving
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
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Recent Examples of making out
Thinking about making out more and disco-ing all night long this year?
—
Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2026
These are songs seeking soul, soul mate, maker, making out and mercy.
—Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
The two were speculated to be together when the two were making out on Perry’s yacht in August.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2025
Someone sent Nicky photos of his wife, Sofia, making out with the problematic Mayor.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
The warmth from the Southwest will also create a drier-than-usual season with precipitation expected to be 50-74% lower than usual, making out-of-season wildfires possible, according to AccuWeather.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Last weekend, the Daily Mail published a series of photographs in which the American pop star Katy Perry was spotted making out on the upper deck of her boat, the Caravelle, with her apparent new love interest, the former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Hoping to better understand the demand for smutty scares, Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville (Olivia Williams), spend an interminable evening at the theater surrounded by people throwing popcorn and making out while the topless woman onscreen is tortured and killed in a masked man’s dungeon.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
Patrick took it surprisingly well, because Kacie kept making out with him and confirming that her choice had nothing to do with her feelings for him.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2026
These are songs seeking soul, soul mate, maker, making out and mercy.
—Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
The two were speculated to be together when the two were making out on Perry’s yacht in August.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2025
Someone sent Nicky photos of his wife, Sofia, making out with the problematic Mayor.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
The warmth from the Southwest will also create a drier-than-usual season with precipitation expected to be 50-74% lower than usual, making out-of-season wildfires possible, according to AccuWeather.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Last weekend, the Daily Mail published a series of photographs in which the American pop star Katy Perry was spotted making out on the upper deck of her boat, the Caravelle, with her apparent new love interest, the former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Hoping to better understand the demand for smutty scares, Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville (Olivia Williams), spend an interminable evening at the theater surrounded by people throwing popcorn and making out while the topless woman onscreen is tortured and killed in a masked man’s dungeon.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
Patrick took it surprisingly well, because Kacie kept making out with him and confirming that her choice had nothing to do with her feelings for him.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for making out
Verb
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Inside athletic departments across the country, executives are coping with financial impacts driven by the death of amateurism in high-level college sports.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Hey, if getting railed by a hot patient is McKay’s coping mechanism, more power to her.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Low-resolution Surveying involves gathering surface-level information about a wide variety of topics—knowing a little about a lot of stuff.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
That includes knowing when to let go of something that no longer serves you.—
Andrew Rosen,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Parents reported that their children loved playing with the original Nékojita FuFu, pretending to fan their faces and blow-dry their hair.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
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How naïve must Trump be to believe that Putin cares about Ukraine’s well-being after invading it, killing thousands of its people, kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children back to Russia, and continuing to bomb civilian apartment buildings while pretending to negotiate a peace deal?—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Large language models represent the first technology capable of analyzing, contextualizing and deriving insights from this avalanche of information.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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Resolve this by walking your own path (literally) and deriving support from people who are capable of caring about you.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In doing so, something incredible is revealed — the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower will coincide with a total solar eclipse.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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In a telephone call on Saturday, Hennessey estimated that 50 of the paper’s 200 journalists are covering the story daily, doing everything from tracking protests and monitoring immigration enforcement action to covering the significant business impact on the city.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The key to making the right decision is understanding all your options beforehand.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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His perspective positions the next wave of transformation not around deeper analysis, but around autonomous action, systems capable of understanding situations, deciding optimal responses, and executing those responses in real time.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As the 2026 midterms approach, affordability will again be the deciding issue among voters.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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Prior to that game-deciding drive, Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense needed to respond to the Eagles’ field goal that made the score read 19-17 on the Jumbotron at Lincoln Financial Field in favor of the home team.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By building out a picture of the whales’ health, habits and diet, researchers are deciphering the many ways humans impact their lives and guiding conservation actions that may mean life or death for the orcas.—
Kelso Harper,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
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By uncovering these complex vocal structures, this research marks a crucial step in deciphering the meaning behind sperm whale communication.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
12 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Making out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/making%20out. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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