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make out

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phrasal verb
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theymake out
he/she/itmakes out
present participlemaking out
past tensemade out
past participlemade out
 
  1. 1
    [transitive] to see, hear, or understand someone or something with difficulty

    I can just make a few words out on this page.

    I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

    Can you make out a face here on the photograph?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  make outThesaurus entry for this meaning of make out
    1. a.
      informal to understand someone’s character

      I can’t make her out.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  make outThesaurus entry for this meaning of make out
  3. 3
    [transitive] to cause people to have a particular false opinion about someone or something
    make someone out to be something:

    He made me out to be a liar.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  make outThesaurus entry for this meaning of make out
  4. 4
    [transitive] informal to pretend that something is true
    make out (that):

    He made out that he’d won the lottery.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  make outThesaurus entry for this meaning of make out
  5. 5
    [intransitive] informal to succeed, or to continue in a particular way

    How is Frank making out in his new job?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  make outThesaurus entry for this meaning of make out
  6. 6
    [intransitive] American informal to have sex, or to kiss and touch in a sexual way

    They were making out in the back of his car.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  make outThesaurus entry for this meaning of make out

This is the American English definition of make out. View British English definition of make out.

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