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

Directed by Kim Han-gyul, the film is an adaptation of 2012 Swedish film Cockpit about a pilot who pretends to be his own younger sister after being fired from his job.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
Everyone pretends the films were chosen purely on merit, but the slate often reads Hollywood with a lanyard and a conscience.

— Joseph Kahn, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of pretends

Verb

FirstDate primarily derives those preferences from questionnaires.

— Matthew Tan, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of derives

Verb

Not surprisingly, the legislation does nothing to curb the growth of compensation and other benefits for college presidents, athletics directors, coaches and staff who continue to be in charge of the athletes under their control.

— Bruce Svare, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2026
These days, the interjection does a lot of work online as an all-purpose signifier of derogation.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of does

Verb

The development calls into question the future of the USMCA, which will face annual reviews until 2036—or until one of the three partner nations decides to pull out.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
District decides the race The gerrymandered 5th district would have been a monumental challenge for Cleaver if the courts hadn’t ruled to pause the law pending an election.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of decides

Verb

Mousquetaires Group, which runs the Intermarche chain, has indicated that a Danish company, Danfoss, manages the affected refrigerators.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
Fox Entertainment Global holds domestic distribution rights to Baywatch and Fremantle manages all international sales.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026