come out
Britishverb
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to be made public or revealed
the news of her death came out last week
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to make a debut in society or on stage
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Also: come out of the closet. to declare openly that one is a homosexual
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to reveal or declare any habit or practice formerly concealed
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to go on strike
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to declare oneself
the government came out in favour of scrapping the project
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to be shown visibly or clearly
you came out very well in the photos
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to yield a satisfactory solution
these sums just won't come out
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to be published
the paper comes out on Fridays
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(foll by in) to become covered with
you're coming out in spots
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(foll by with) to speak or declare openly
you can rely on him to come out with the facts
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Become known, be discovered, as in The whole story came out at the trial . [c. 1200]
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Be issued or brought out, as in My new book is coming out this month . [Late 1500s]
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Make a formal debut in society or on the stage, as in In New York, debutantes come out in winter . [Late 1700s]
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End up, result, as in Everything came out wrong . [Mid-1800s] Also see come out ahead .
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. Declare oneself publicly in favor of or opposed to someone or something, as in The governor came out for a tax cut , or Many senators came out against the bill . [Late 1800s]
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Also, come out of the closet . Reveal that one is homosexual, as in The military has specific policies regarding soldiers who come out of the closet while enlisted . [Mid-1900s] Also see the subsequent entries beginning with come out .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
King Charles's former communications chief has come out in defence of his old boss saying the then-prince "was absolutely emphatic that we were to respect Diana's memory", according to the Daily Express.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The movie, which hadn’t come out yet, would go on to gross nearly $2.8 billion worldwide—and there were almost definitely some fellow straphangers eager to see it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
“It’s not surprising to see some air come out of them in a quick way,” Behan said regarding semiconductor stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Caine said that it should not be left to private companies alone to reassure the public that AI "will never... come out of control", and that governments instead must take responsibility for creating regulatory frameworks.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
“Sorry. Ingrid lost her parents a few years ago. I’m always doing my best to help her come out of her shell.”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
