1
as in proving
to come to be
the eagerly anticipated kayaking trip never panned out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in succeeding
to turn out as planned or desired
the investment scheme didn't quite pan out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of panning out
The Guthrie family is aware that the investigation might need to be transitioned and has been briefed on the fact that certain leads have not been panning out, the sources said.
—
Luke Barr, ABC News, 20 Feb. 2026
That is panning out with Knowles and Fanendo Adi, who will take over for Jeremy Hall as head coach of the Loons’ developmental team, MNUFC2.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026
Vrána not panning out hurt the Mantha return some, and many of the second-rounders Detroit acquired didn’t materialize either.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Thanks to partisan gerrymandering, once-competitive districts have now become easy targets that fundamentally prevent a truly massive seat haul from actually panning out.
—Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026
Earlier forecasts of high temperatures dropping into the 80s in the Dallas area weren't panning out, the weather service there said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Staffers at the restaurants told the Post the main sanctuary is vacant, a hint that the idea proposed in 2023 to put in a 320-seat, bi-level theater is not panning out.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 11 Aug. 2025
Luke Barr, ABC News, 20 Feb. 2026
That is panning out with Knowles and Fanendo Adi, who will take over for Jeremy Hall as head coach of the Loons’ developmental team, MNUFC2.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026
Vrána not panning out hurt the Mantha return some, and many of the second-rounders Detroit acquired didn’t materialize either.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Thanks to partisan gerrymandering, once-competitive districts have now become easy targets that fundamentally prevent a truly massive seat haul from actually panning out.
—Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026
Earlier forecasts of high temperatures dropping into the 80s in the Dallas area weren't panning out, the weather service there said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Staffers at the restaurants told the Post the main sanctuary is vacant, a hint that the idea proposed in 2023 to put in a 320-seat, bi-level theater is not panning out.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panning out
Verb
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China is proving to be an unreliable friend to Iran in this moment of crisis, and any authoritarian regime that’s counting on Beijing as its backstop should think again.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
-
As written and implemented, these laws place undue burden on proving individual culpability based on smoking-gun evidence of hate.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Iran’s new supreme leader released his first statement since succeeding his late father, saying Thursday that Iran would keep up its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel.—
Stan Choe,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
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Iran’s new supreme leader released his first statement Thursday since succeeding his late father, saying his country would keep up attacks on Gulf Arab neighbors and use the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More details were not immediately available with information coming out of Iran severely limited by internet outages, round-the-clock airstrikes and tight restrictions on journalists.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Gary was the consensus top recruit in the country coming out of New Jersey’s Paramus Catholic.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the final Showcase round of the game, the final two players guess the price on a large collection of high-value items and the closest guess to the correct price without going over wins the whole pot.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
-
After going over these stubborn wrinkles once in the Vitessa’s regular mode, using the steam-burst function fully removed them in a single pass.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The trial, scheduled to begin April 28, will revisit the founding years of OpenAI a decade ago, its falling out with Musk and Microsoft’s subsequent $13 billion investment in the startup.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Ville Husso stopped 27 shots for the Ducks (36-27-3), who have now lost three of their last four games and are in peril of falling out of the Pacific Division lead.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This pair from Baleaf is made with an ultra-soft, four-way stretch fabric that is fit for lounging and working out.—
Melony Forcier,
InStyle,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Sam remembers that redshirt year, working out with one of the student managers.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Operational superiority and proactive defense Combining Thales’ expertise in cybersecurity and advanced artificial intelligence through cortAIx, Thales AI accelerator, SkyDefender enables operational superiority and proactive defense against cyberattacks and evolving threats.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Mar. 2026
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The wind still carries that faint suggestion of reinvention; this side of Quintana Roo isn’t done evolving.—
Gina Góngora,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are the exceptions after literally going from unknowns to household names in, like, a week.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Chris Beard, the former UT coach, guided his team to an unlikely semifinal berth, but the early exit for a Texas squad that never really found its footing this season in going 18-14 had the Longhorns riding the bubble.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Panning out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panning%20out. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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