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

If the leather look doesn’t match your style, then consider opting for a passport wallet made out of fabric or nylon. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025

On The Cosby Show, Phylicia Rashad always delivered parenting moves that were knowledgable and made out of love as Clair Huxtable. —Angela Andaloro, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Setting Local Contrast to Strong improved shadow detail slightly, but not enough to make out what was happening in the darkest scenes in our test suite. —PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2025

The team’s new name comes with a new logo — a miner named Dugg who rocks a gold tooth, a slick smile and a wink, while holding a pickaxe made out of a baseball bat. —Marcus D. Smith, Sacbee.com, 10 Apr. 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