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

Second, small day-to-day decisions made out of stress may unintentionally chip away at long-term opportunities, such as cutting back on training or failing to invest in technology that could enhance operations. —Tiffany Grant, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

In total, Hedges issued nearly 70 fake money orders, with 11 of them made out to her boyfriend or family member, according to the indictment. —Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

Picture the scene, everyone's wearing different colored skinny jeans, Lady Gaga wore a dress made out of meat, and everyone is either Team Edward or Team Jacob. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025

So on most days when Mike Shildt makes out the lineup, Padres fans stand to see no less than an entertaining quartet of position players —Merrill, Tatis Jr., Machado and Arraez — and a starting pitcher with a high strikeout rate. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 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