MAKES OUT Synonyms: 138 Similar and Opposite Words

makes out

verb

present tense third-person singular of make out

as in copes

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

as in knows

to have a clear idea of I can't quite make out what she is trying to say

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pretends

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

as in derives

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of makes out The contemporary media environment makes out-and-out suppression of a book difficult. — Sophia Nguyen, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026 Even Fraser makes out with Rainbeau and Damo. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for makes out

Verb

An event can cause great pain to one person while another copes with it much better.

— Roberto Prieto, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
Hollis buries herself in work in an attempt to escape her complicated grief, while aspiring filmmaker Caroline copes by making snarky remarks and bristling at her mom's efforts to connect.

— Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026

Definition of copes

Verb

Robin pretends to play with the moon but becomes worried when the moon gets stuck in a tree.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
This time around, Demna seemed to be speaking more earnestly about glamour and style, and to a customer base that fashion often pretends is not there.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of pretends

Verb

The power of prediction markets derives precisely from sucking our attention toward what’s speculable—incentivizing the networked crowd to separate signal from noise at scale.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
The second type, structural assets, derives value from categorical assertion.

— Joseph Byrum, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of derives

Verb

The Salem witch trials of 1692 carved out an enduring and powerful niche in American history for this little town, and this intimate, kitschy museum does an excellent job telling the story.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
Alex just keeps calm, and that’s what Pascal does, more or less, throughout the movie.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of does

Verb

If India decides to limit rice exports due to concerns about domestic food insecurity, that will in turn increase global rice prices.

— Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
If a community decides the potential benefits of such a project (jobs and reduced taxes, for example) outweigh its costs, the municipality should be able to move forward.

— Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of decides

Verb

Reactor, which emerged from stealth in May, develops software to make world models run faster and cheaper, and sells a cloud service that manages the computing capacity.

— Wen Shao, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
Set the scene Located 10 minutes on foot from Roma Termini, the city’s bustling train station, The Fifteen Keys manages to feel like a quiet retreat in a city that sees millions of tourists each year.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026