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.
Gauging their success was difficult initially because they came out during the pandemic.
“And, just like Covid, we will come out of this stronger.”
And then there was the request that they surprise Mendes by singing “Happy Birthday” when she came out on stage.
From Los Angeles Times
But the builders of the internet age are quick to note that inventions don’t come out of a vacuum.
I once saw a beaver come out of a hole on the ice near his lodge in the middle of winter and stand off four wolves.
From Literature
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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.