Make out meaning
Make out means to manage to see, hear or read something that is not clear. It can also mean to understand someone or something, or why something happens.
make something out
make out · made · making
I could just make out a boat through the fog.
Make out meanings and examples
4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
-
1
Manage to see, hear or read something that is not clear
make something out
- I could just make out a boat through the fog.
- Can you make out the number on that bus?
- His writing is so bad that I can’t make it out.
-
2
Understand someone or something, or why something happens
make somebody or something out
- I can’t make out why she left so early.
- He’s strange. I just can’t make him out.
- From what I can make out, the shop has closed.
-
3
Say that something is true when it may not be
make somebody or something out
- He made out that he’d never seen me before.
- The job isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.
- She makes herself out to be very busy.
-
4
Kiss and touch someone in a romantic way (US, informal)
make out
- Two teenagers were making out in the back row of the cinema.
- Did they really make out at the party?
- We made out for the first time on the beach.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use make out in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is make out separable?
Make out is separable: make out the words, make the words out. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: I can’t make it out, not make out it.
With a clause, keep make out together: I couldn’t make out what he said. Make out that and make it out to be mean claim something.
Verb tenses for make out
| Present | I make out · she makes out |
|---|---|
| Past | made out |
| Present perfect | have made out |
| -ing form | making out |
Common mistakes with make out
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: The sign is too far away. I can’t make out it.
Right: The sign is too far away. I can’t make it out.
A pronoun goes between make and out.
Wrong: I couldn’t make what he said out.
Right: I couldn’t make out what he said.
A long object like what he said goes after make out.
Wrong: It’s not as hard as they make out it to be.
Right: It’s not as hard as they make it out to be.
The pattern is make it out to be, with it in the middle.
Synonyms and opposites of make out
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- figure outfind the answer to a problem by thinking
- spotsee something quickly, not with difficulty
- claimsay something is true; more neutral than make out
Opposite
- missnot see or hear something at all
Make out quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
-
1It was dark, but I could ___ two people by the door.
Make out means see something that is hard to see.
-
2Choose the right sentence.
A pronoun goes between make and out.
-
3“He makes out that he’s rich, but he isn’t.” What does he do?
Make out that means say something is true, often when it is not.
More phrasal verbs with make
3 phrasal verbs start with make. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Make out FAQ
Questions people ask about make out.
What does make out mean in slang?
In informal US English, make out means kiss someone for a long time. Teenagers often use it. In other meanings, make out is not slang.
What does how did you make out mean?
In US English it means how did it go? How did you make out at the interview? It is informal.
Is make out the same as figure out?
Not quite. You make out something you can hardly see or hear. You figure out the answer to a problem. Both can mean understand: I can’t make out or figure out why he left.
Use make out in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.