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
• make do
• make ends meet
• get along
• get by
• get on
• manage

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

She first got noticed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with TikToks on everyday observations, such as a viral one on how the beds were made out of cardboard. —Daniel Kaplan, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025

And since rubber was made out of plants, Edison, Ford and Firestone concluded that southwest Florida would be an ideal place to grow and test many different plants. —David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2025

And Antonio closes the runway with a full-length pink puffy coat made out of triangular flags and a sheer dress made out of transparent vinyl bubbles that barely covers his model’s ass. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025

The sale doesn’t reflect a change in our long-term thesis, but a move made out of discipline to right-size our position and lock in gains. —Paulina Likos, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for make out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

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