make out
Britishverb
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(tr) to discern or perceive
can you make out that house in the distance?
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(tr) to understand or comprehend
I can't make out this letter
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(tr) to write out
he made out a cheque
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(tr) to attempt to establish or prove
he made me out to be a liar
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(intr) to pretend
he made out that he could cook
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(intr) to manage or fare
how did you make out in the contest?
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informal to engage in necking or petting
Alan is making out with Jane
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Discern or see, especially with difficulty, as in I can hardly make out the number on the door . [Mid-1700s]
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Manage, get along, as in How did you make out with the accountant? This usage was first recorded in 1820.
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Engage in sexual foreplay or intercourse, as in Bill and Jane were making out on the sofa , or Joe bragged that he made out last night . [ Slang ; early 1900s]
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Understand, as in I can't make out what she is trying to say . [Mid-1600s] Also see can't make head or tail of .
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Establish or prove, as in He made out that he was innocent . [ Colloquial ; mid-1600s]
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Imply or suggest. This usage often occurs with an infinitive, as in Are you making me out to be a liar? [ Colloquial ; mid-1600s]
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Write out, draw up; fill in a written form. For example, He made out the invoices , or Jane started making out job applications . This usage was first recorded in 1465.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shocked participants made out an empty chair crossing the room, “winding its way among the people … without touching them.”
From Literature
Viewers found it hard to make out exactly what Green was yelling about unless they stayed around for post-speech coverage on cable news.
From Salon
Or when you phone a company and the AI “assistant” that responds really can’t make out what you’re asking to route the call correctly.
When I first heard the noise, I couldn’t make out what it was—although I knew that I had heard it before.
From Literature
It was still dark, but I could just make out the shadowy movements of something farther up the road.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
