panning out

verb

present participle of pan out
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

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 panning out Yet despite those signings not panning out, the owners are hell-bent on a salary cap, while the players are vehemently opposed. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Roobroeck and Terrance are both coming off down years on a bad AHL Hartford team, with scouts who watched the Wolf Pack giving the 6-foot-7 Roobroeck a better chance of panning out in a bottom-six role. — Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 The quirky sci-fi comedy starring Diedrich Bader and Chris Parnell did not end up panning out for Spelling. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026 There were theories that 007 First Light could slide in as one of the sleeper hits of 2026, and, at least critically, that idea seems to be panning out. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026 Venable bounced from the Guardians to the Phillies to the Dodgers after Preller — fresh off the Matt Kemp/Justin Upton/Wil Myers infusion not panning out — traded him to the Rangers. — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026 Alphabet, too, was left for dead by the Street on fears that management wasn't executing and the company's AI strategy wasn't panning out to the point the were being overtaken by others. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panning out
  1. proving
  2. succeeding
  3. coming out
  4. going over
  5. falling out
  6. working out
  7. evolving
  8. going
Verb
  • Upworthy is already proving what that can look like, turning the conversations in our Instagram comments into a New York Times bestselling book.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Vishnu Mohta, co-founder of Hoichoi and LoglineAI, said the first decade had been about proving a language-first platform could build a meaningful global business.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of proving
Verb
  • Mattel on Wednesday named Roger Lynch as its new CEO and chairman, succeeding Ynon Kreiz, who the toy giant says is leaving for a role at another public company.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
  • That shift means software revenue now comes from renewal and adoption, not a one-time sale, which depend on customers actually succeeding with the technology day after day.
    — Mike Trkay, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of succeeding
Verb
  • Still, the fact that a movie is coming out that will get people talking about our relationship to Facebook and Instagram feels significant in its own right.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Police said security camera footage showed the man believed to be the suspect entering the hotel with the victim and coming out alone.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of coming out
Verb
  • Google is exploring ways to pay sites directly for contributing to AI answers, but its pilot program is reportedly not going over well with publishers.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The couple have kept their creative partnership going over the past year.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of going over
Verb
  • George Santos simply cannot get up After surprising the DS by passing the first task — falling out of a hovering helicopter backward — Santos ruins his big moment by struggling to swim to the dock and not being able to lift himself out of the water.
    — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Journalists identified the source of the album as Beck’s falling out with Leigh, and critics revered the LP as proof Beck had grown up as a songwriter, abandoning the old doggerel.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of falling out
Verb
  • Several Heat players already have been working out in advance of training camp at Kaseya Center, after previously holding a team bonding session earlier this month in California.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
  • This time, Miles Teller plays the father, an out-of-work engineer who is convinced by his ex-cop brother (Adam Driver) to go into business with a group of Russian importers working out of Gowanus.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of working out
Verb
  • Spanning multiple decades, the period procedural follows a legendary detective who, alongside his dedicated team, cracks complex criminal cases while chronicling the evolving apparatus of China’s public security forces.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Golden Goose is evolving into a platform where product shifts into experiences, and stores become collaborative spaces for self-expression.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of evolving
Verb
  • The morning commute on I-80 declined from Rocklin ahead of the Capitol City Freeway split going toward I-5.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Their resilience is, frankly, the thing that keeps the rest of us going.
    — Philip Weinberg, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of going

Browse Nearby Words

panning
panning out
panoplies
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Panning out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panning%20out. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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