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
The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the case, citing North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct that prohibit prosecutors from making out-of-court statements on pending cases.
—
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Mar. 2026
The subsequent episode—in which Sullivan, who had a serious boyfriend at home, is seen making out with one of the men—framed the incident as a simple case of infidelity.
—Judy Berman, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
In November, a judge rejected Nathan’s request to close off the courtroom and impose a gag order, which limits attorneys and investigators from making out-of-court statements about the case.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
As promoted, DJs Sophia Ziskin, Bea Hardy and Bryndon Cook had the room sweaty and dancing and, duh, making out.
—Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 15 Feb. 2026
Jason then starts making out with Natalie.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Mar. 2026
The subsequent episode—in which Sullivan, who had a serious boyfriend at home, is seen making out with one of the men—framed the incident as a simple case of infidelity.
—Judy Berman, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
In November, a judge rejected Nathan’s request to close off the courtroom and impose a gag order, which limits attorneys and investigators from making out-of-court statements about the case.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
As promoted, DJs Sophia Ziskin, Bea Hardy and Bryndon Cook had the room sweaty and dancing and, duh, making out.
—Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 15 Feb. 2026
Jason then starts making out with Natalie.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for making out
Verb
-
Here are tips for managing, coping, and thriving.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Rather than helping users develop coping skills, Halpern said, a purely affirming chatbot relationship can degrade those skills over time.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That combination of engagement and elusiveness, of knowing how much to say and how much to hold back, creates a tantalizing sense of mystery that keeps people curious, not only wanting more but wanting to know more.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
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After Cocroft scored 30 points in Friday’s 70-52 win over Burlington for the regional title, it was mentioned that Cocroft is free to go offensively knowing Carter is locking things down on defense.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
City Hall needs to stop pretending the job is getting done and just do it.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Scammers are sending emails to residents involved in planning, zoning or land-use applications pretending to be Forest Lake city planning and zoning staff members, the city said Friday.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The very legitimacy of deriving general principles from the particulars of experience can never be established from experience without already having the principle in hand.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
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Similarly, Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said in December that the bank is doing a lot more because of AI.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
An officer monitoring a vehicle X-ray machine did not detect anything wrong with the vehicle, but another officer doing a physical inspection spotted the woman’s foot, according to the complaint.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This phase diagram, a chart showing how a material behaves as variables such as doping or temperature change, is crucial for understanding how superconductivity emerges.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
However, empowerment also means understanding how scammers operate in the real world.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sarr, in contrast, was a 6-foot-8 sparkplug during Duke’s game-deciding run, punctuated by a full-court steal-and-slam that caused Blue Devil fans to erupt and forced Davis to call a timeout.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Insurers, not doctors, are increasingly deciding when and how patients receive cancer treatment.—
Alex Mejia Garcia,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When your speech is clear and reliable, no fog, no spin, no quiet evasions, people stop wasting energy deciphering you and start collaborating with you.—
Adam Dietz,
Big Think,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Pitch tipping — the art of deciphering what might be coming based on small tells a pitcher might have — is a legal and common practice.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Making out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/making%20out. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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