come out

British  

verb

1. to be made public or revealed

   the news of her death came out last week

2. to make a debut in society or on stage

3. 1. Also: come out of the closet.  to declare openly that one is a homosexual

   2. to reveal or declare any habit or practice formerly concealed

4. to go on strike

5. to declare oneself

   the government came out in favour of scrapping the project

6. to be shown visibly or clearly

   you came out very well in the photos

7. to yield a satisfactory solution

   these sums just won't come out

8. to be published

   the paper comes out on Fridays

9. (foll by in) to become covered with

   you're coming out in spots

10. (foll by with) to speak or declare openly

    you can rely on him to come out with the facts

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come out Idioms  

1. Become known, be discovered, as in The whole story came out at the trial . [c. 1200]

2. Be issued or brought out, as in My new book is coming out this month . [Late 1500s]

3. Make a formal debut in society or on the stage, as in In New York, debutantes come out in winter . [Late 1700s]

4. End up, result, as in Everything came out wrong . [Mid-1800s] Also see come out ahead .

5. . 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]

6. 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 .

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Example Sentences

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Professor Lee Elliot Major said teachers are acting as "de facto parents" in the classroom, explaining that a lot of "societal challenges" come out in this setting.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Amazon noted the surcharge will come out to about 17 cents on average for U.S. shipments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"I have to come out, making a living day to day."

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“The rattlesnakes use the warm temperature,” Taylor said, “as a cue for when it’s time for them to come out and start being active.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Part of me wished he would just come out and tell us his name, say sorry for being so weird.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• appear
• break
• debut
• get out