MAKING OUT Synonyms: 138 Similar and Opposite Words

making out

verb

present participle of make out

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

as in knowing

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 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

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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

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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 making out On the night of the Sex Purge, the streets are flooded with attractive, thin, largely heterosexual couples making out all over the place. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 This surge is driven by state funding compacts and a commitment to growing California undergraduate enrollment, making out-of-state admission increasingly competitive. — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 On July 1, Rodriguez and Hayden were spotted making out at Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin’s White Party, one month after his split from Jaclyn Cordeiro. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026 Not the family stuff, like Natalie’s spontaneous nipple piercing after making out with Cady’s maybe-daughter, Nevaeh (Malia Pyles), who later murders her own mother after kissing her, for way too long, on the mouth. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026 The finale concluded on an uncomfortable cliffhanger between Benny and Carmen, as the former walked in on the latter making out with his crush Miles (Rish Shah), leading to an unexpected confrontation in which Benny is accidentally outed to his sister. — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 6 June 2026 In the finale, which aired earlier this month, they were caught on camera making out. — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026 With commodities, when geopolitical tensions or inflation fears spike, investors often scramble for upside calls, making out-of-the-money options expensive relative to at-the-money options. — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 13 May 2026 After a few minutes, your eyes gradually adjust, and the performers, the maybe-lovers, come into view, flesh on the ground, writhing and making out and embracing. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 8 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for making out

Verb

Humor is also one of the best, least self-destructive coping mechanisms for pain and depression…not to get too serious.

— Lisa Hanawalt, The New York Review of Books, 15 Aug. 2026
The substance here is in the film’s pointed observation of their various coping strategies, blind spots and small, satisfying moments of release.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of coping

Verb

But almost immediately, the outbreak seemed to be bigger than the government was letting on.

— Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
And yet based on some of its recent actions, this exec also believes Netflix’s leadership may be more concerned than it’s been letting on.

— Josef Adalian, Vulture, 16 July 2026