1
as in coping
to meet one's day-to-day needs
we're not rich, but we're making out all right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in knowing
to have a clear idea of
I can't quite make out what she is trying to say
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pretending
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
he tried to make out that he didn't mind losing his job, but friends suspected he was desperately worried
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in deriving
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
as best as I can make out, the police were informed of the incident but didn't think it was worth investigating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of making out
These are songs seeking soul, soul mate, maker, making out and mercy.
—
Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
The two were speculated to be together when the two were making out on Perry’s yacht in August.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2025
Someone sent Nicky photos of his wife, Sofia, making out with the problematic Mayor.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
The warmth from the Southwest will also create a drier-than-usual season with precipitation expected to be 50-74% lower than usual, making out-of-season wildfires possible, according to AccuWeather.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Last weekend, the Daily Mail published a series of photographs in which the American pop star Katy Perry was spotted making out on the upper deck of her boat, the Caravelle, with her apparent new love interest, the former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Hoping to better understand the demand for smutty scares, Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville (Olivia Williams), spend an interminable evening at the theater surrounded by people throwing popcorn and making out while the topless woman onscreen is tortured and killed in a masked man’s dungeon.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
Patrick took it surprisingly well, because Kacie kept making out with him and confirming that her choice had nothing to do with her feelings for him.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Whether through canny critique or open wist, shows about making out-of-fashion things can offer us space to predict, resist, and elegize our way through a dark and muddy cultural moment.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for making out
Verb
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Worrying about finding a bathroom, coping with abdominal pain, and apprehension about symptoms starting or coming back all cause stress.—
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The theme is an evolution of Glimmers, a macro trend from WGSN’s Future Consumer 2026 forecast that examines the coping tool for consumers as the world faces multiple crises.—
Verb
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The couple, who did not grow up knowing one another because of estrangements in their families, faced criticism from both sets of parents for the union.—
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Another resident, Carolyn Reeves, said not knowing if the annexation would bring in commercial or residential development raises suspicion.—
Verb
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Parents reported that their children loved playing with the original Nékojita FuFu, pretending to fan their faces and blow-dry their hair.—
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How naïve must Trump be to believe that Putin cares about Ukraine’s well-being after invading it, killing thousands of its people, kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children back to Russia, and continuing to bomb civilian apartment buildings while pretending to negotiate a peace deal?—
Verb
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Resolve this by walking your own path (literally) and deriving support from people who are capable of caring about you.—
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Thomas is charged with human trafficking, while Robertson is charged with human trafficking, transporting a person from out of state into the state for human trafficking, branding in relation to human trafficking, deriving support from proceeds of prostitution, and battery.—
Verb
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Upon doing some research for more formal choices to match the nickname, the mom came across Margaret, which had a connection to her husband's grandmother.—
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No New Yorker should have to fear losing access to health care -- and no nurse should be asked to accept less pay, fewer benefits or less dignity for doing lifesaving work.—
Verb
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The key to making the right decision is understanding all your options beforehand.—
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His perspective positions the next wave of transformation not around deeper analysis, but around autonomous action, systems capable of understanding situations, deciding optimal responses, and executing those responses in real time.—
Verb
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The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered all McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft grounded pending further inspection, following UPS and FedEx each deciding to ground the planes that make up part of their cargo fleet.—
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The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will take part in a showdown this Sunday at Levi's Stadium that could possibly end up deciding who finishes first in the NFC West.—
Verb
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Dreams are a concept that humans have been fascinated with deciphering for thousands of years.—
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Though historians have called for further research before making claims, the proposal of a script rooted in sign language might open the chance to explore a new way of deciphering Mayan art and show the ancient civilization to be even more sophisticated and efficient than scholars even knew.—
Cite this Entry
“Making out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/making%20out. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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