make out

verb

made out; making out; makes out

transitive verb

1

: to complete (something, such as a printed form) by supplying required information

make out a check

2

: to find or grasp the meaning of

tried to make out what had really happened

3

: to form an opinion or idea about : conclude

how do you make that out

4

a

: to represent as being

made them out to be losers

b

: to pretend to be true

made out that he had never heard of me

5

: to represent or delineate in detail

6

: to see and identify with difficulty or effort : discern

make out a ship through the fog

intransitive verb

1

: get along, fare

how are you making out with the new job

2

a

: to engage in sexual intercourse

b

: neck sense 1

Synonyms

• cope
• do
• fare
• get along
• get by
• get on
• manage
• shift

Examples of make out in a Sentence

we're not rich, but we're making out all right

I can't quite make out what she is trying to say.

Recent Examples on the Web

The two were later seen making out backstage, posting flirty videos on TikTok, and even got tattoos together. —Esther Kang, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024

Its sturdy coils are made out of high-grade steel to keep your body uplifted to help prevent sinking too deep into the bed. —Ashley Zlatopolsky, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024

Sokolowski says washing them in cold water with mild detergent and then hanging them up to dry is the way to go (as opposed to running them through the dryer); many of the materials sports bras are made out of, like spandex, do not withstand heat well. —Julia Ries, Outside Online, 31 Oct. 2024

Seeking a way to put all that polystyrene waste to use, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), in collaboration with Riga Technical University in Latvia, have invented a thin patch made out of multiple layers of the material. —Michael Franco, New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

make out

verb

1

: to draw up in writing

make out a shopping list

2

: understand sense 1a

how do you make that out

3

: to represent as being

made her out a hero

4

: to see and identify with difficulty

make out a form in the fog

5

: succeed sense 2

make out well in business

6

: to engage in kissing and petting