come out

verb

came out; come out; coming out; comes out

intransitive verb

1
a
: to come into public view : make a public appearance
a new magazine has come out
b
: to become evident
his pride came out in his refusal to accept help
2
: to declare oneself especially in public utterance
came out in favor of the proposal
3
: to turn out in an outcome : end up
everything came out all right
4
: to make a debut
5
a
: to openly declare one's sexual orientation or gender identity
came out as bisexual
decided to come out to her family
b
: to openly declare something about oneself previously kept hidden
often used with as
blew his cover and came out as a CIA agentWilliam Prochnau
coming-out noun
Phrases
come out with
1
: to give expression to
came out with a new proposal
2

Examples of come out in a Sentence

in the end everything came out OK come out, come out wherever you are!
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Aldo has been active since coming out of retirement. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 Instead, model Colin Jones came out in a stunning black column dress, her face screened behind a panel of stiff pleated tulle. Jennifer Weil, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024 Harris has largely portrayed the relationship with Beijing as a competition, vowing to ensure that the U.S. would come out on top as the global leader of this century at a time when China was charging ahead in key sectors. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 Foxx previously shared in an interview with Access Hollywood in 2022, per Men’s Health, that Jones, Oprah and Sidney Poitier set up an intervention for him following his non-stop partying after his movie Ray came out. Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for come out 

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of come out was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near come out

Cite this Entry

“Come out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20out. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

come out

verb
1
: to come into public view
2
: to turn out to be
everything came out all right

More from Merriam-Webster on come out

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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