come out
Britishverb
-
to be made public or revealed
the news of her death came out last week
-
to make a debut in society or on stage
-
-
Also: come out of the closet. to declare openly that one is a homosexual
-
to reveal or declare any habit or practice formerly concealed
-
-
to go on strike
-
to declare oneself
the government came out in favour of scrapping the project
-
to be shown visibly or clearly
you came out very well in the photos
-
to yield a satisfactory solution
these sums just won't come out
-
to be published
the paper comes out on Fridays
-
(foll by in) to become covered with
you're coming out in spots
-
(foll by with) to speak or declare openly
you can rely on him to come out with the facts
-
Become known, be discovered, as in The whole story came out at the trial . [c. 1200]
-
Be issued or brought out, as in My new book is coming out this month . [Late 1500s]
-
Make a formal debut in society or on the stage, as in In New York, debutantes come out in winter . [Late 1700s]
-
End up, result, as in Everything came out wrong . [Mid-1800s] Also see come out ahead .
-
. 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]
-
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.
For every riot, there are volunteers who'll come out the next day to clean up the mess.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Disruptions can come out of the blue: a ransomware attack crippled one Treasury dealer in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Once you’ve watched your balance fall a hundred times on the screen and come out fine, the falling balance stops feeling like a threat.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
I mean, he could have never come out.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Theo awkwardly stands in the frame of the back doorway, looking as though he’s not sure whether to come out.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
