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.
“Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out, whether through the courthouse or otherwise.”
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
The agreement, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, seemed to come out of nowhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
"Not having these leaders there really lowers the expectation of whether or not we will see a strong statement come out of the Pacific Islands Forum," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Haakon has said Mette-Marit helped him come out of his shell and described her as an emotional counterweight to his analytical mind.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
“The band tonight’s really good. I’ll come out on my break.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
