Definition and pronunciation
make out — phrasal verb with several senses:
- Kiss passionately; in some contexts, engage in sexual activity (informal).
- Understand/decipher something faint or difficult: I can’t make out the sign.
- Claim/pretend: He made out that he was an expert.
- Succeed/fare: How did you make out on the exam?
- Write/complete a document: Please make out the check to Maya.
Pronounced /meɪk aʊt/.
Easy explanation
Make out usually means kiss passionately (and sometimes more), or figure something out when it’s hard to hear, see, or understand. It can also mean pretend, do well, or fill out a form/check. Context tells you which meaning applies.
Part of speech and grammar
- Verb (phrasal): make–made–made out; making out.
- Transitivity:
- Intransitive (kissing): They were making out.
- Transitive (decipher): I can’t make out the handwriting.
- Transitive with complement (claim/portray): He made himself out to be a hero.
- Transitive + preposition (documents): Make the receipt out to Lee.
- With partner: make out with [someone] (kissing/sexual).
Register and tone
- Kissing/sexual: informal, teen/young-adult vibe; can be suggestive but less crude than slang like bang.
- Decipher/claim/succeed/write: neutral everyday English.
Connection to sexuality
Yes. Make out (with someone) typically means kiss intensely, and in some contexts includes touching or sexual activity short of intercourse. If you mean sex clearly, use have sex or sleep with.
Common collocations
- make out with [someone]
- caught making out
- make out in [place] (informal: in the back row, in the car)
- can/can’t make out [words/sign/sound]
- make [something] out to [name] (checks, receipts)
- make out like a bandit (do extremely well)
Idioms and set phrases
- make out like a bandit — profit or benefit a lot.
- make [someone/something] out to be [X] — portray/characterize.
- I can’t make it out — I can’t understand/decipher it.
- be making out — be kissing passionately.
Prepositions and nuance
- with [someone] — partner in kissing/physical affection: She made out with her date.
- to [be X] — portrayal/claim: He made the rumor out to be nothing.
- to [name] — documents/payments: Make the check out to “City Utilities.”
- on/with [test/task] — performance: How did you make out on the quiz?
- [object] out — decipher: Make out the faded signature.
Word comparisons
- kiss vs make out — kiss can be brief; make out implies prolonged, passionate kissing.
- hook up vs make out — hook up = casual encounter (may include sex); make out is usually kissing.
- make love vs make out — make love = sex (romantic); make out = intense kissing.
- figure out vs make out — both mean understand; make out implies poor signal (faint sound/blurred text).
- fill out vs make out — both for forms; make out often for checks/receipts in US English.
- pretend vs make out (that) — close in meaning; make out that is slightly informal.
Real-life examples
- They were making out by the lockers after the game.
- I couldn’t make out what the announcer said over the wind.
- He made himself out to be the victim, but the emails said otherwise.
- How did you make out on your driving test?
- Please make the invoice out to “North Avenue LLC.”
Sample sentences
- They decided to stop making out and talk about boundaries first.
- From here I can barely make out the street names.
- She made it out like the delay was my fault.
- We made out pretty well at the yard sale.
- Can you make the check out to Priya Sharma?
Synonyms
(kiss) kiss, smooch, neck, make advances, fool around
(decipher) discern, make sense of, catch, hear, read, decode, figure out
(claim/portray) claim, allege, maintain, portray, present, depict
(succeed) do well, get by, manage, fare well
(write) fill out, write out, issue, draft, complete
Antonyms
(kiss) abstain, refrain, keep it platonic
(decipher) misunderstand, misread, miss, overlook, be unable to hear/see
(claim/portray) concede, admit truth, downplay
(succeed) fail, struggle, do poorly
(write) void, cancel, leave blank
Related terms
make love, hook up, kiss, PDA, fool around, French kiss, heavy petting, figure out, decipher, claim, allege, portray, write out, fill out, check, receipt
Notes and etiquette
For public or professional spaces, avoid detailed talk of “making out.” When discussing intimacy, center consent and comfort. For clarity in writing, specify the sense you mean—especially between kissing and understanding.
Sexopedia.co is an educational glossary of sexual and gender-related terms—helping you improve your English while deepening your understanding of identity, language, and self-expression.