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.
Pepys’s financial corruption, common enough among officials of his rank, is well known, having come out in the unexpurgated edition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
One fan asked, “MRS.Donald can Aaron come out and play pretty please.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Club legends have come out to support both candidates.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
"On the other hand, President Diomaye Faye seems to have come out stronger from this confrontation."
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Their size, the way the water turns white and frothy when they come out and smack back down—it’s like magic.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
