Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

come out

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing.These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are morefrequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
phrasal verb [intransitive]
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theycome out
he/she/itcomes out
present participlecoming out
past tensecame out
past participlecome out
 
  1. 1
    if something comes out, it becomes known

    He said it’ll all come out in court.

    it comes out that:

    It eventually came out that she was already married.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  2. 2
    to stop being fixed somewhere

    Another of her baby teeth came out yesterday.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  3. 3
    to be removed from something such as clothing or cloth by washing or rubbing

    We scrubbed the carpet with soap but the stains still wouldn’t come out.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  4. 4
    to be spoken, heard, or understood in a particular way

    I didn’t mean it to come out as a criticism.

    come out (all) wrong:

    She had only meant to defend herself, but it had come out all wrong.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  5. 5
    if something such as a book or a film comes out, it becomes available to buy or see

    We’ve recorded a new album, and it’s coming out in the spring.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  8. 8
    to have a particular result, or to end in a particular way

    It’s impossible at this stage to judge how the vote will come out.

    come out (all) right in the end:

    I’m sure it will all come out all right in the end.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
    1. a.
      to be a particular number or amount that is the result of a calculation or measurement
      come out at:

      The total comes out at well over £10,000.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  9. 9
    to be easy to notice

    Her confidence comes out in the way she speaks.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  10. 10
    to state a decision or opinion officially or publicly
    come out in favour of/against (doing) something:

    The commission has come out against the takeover.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
    1. a.
      to say something in an open, honest, or public way that often makes someone feel surprised, embarrassed, or offended
      come (right) out and say something:

      We were all thinking he’d made a mistake, but nobody would come out and say it.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  13. 13
    British to stop working as a protest
    come out on strike:

    It seemed clear that the workers would come out on strike.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  come outThesaurus entry for this meaning of come out
  14. 14
    to tell people that you are gay
    come out to:

    Coming out to her parents was the hardest part.

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

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

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 
See also main entry: come

showmance

a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

slime

a thick, wet, unpleasant substance that covers something

Open Dictionary

human-readable

able to be read and understood by people

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog