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Synonyms

pan out

British  

verb

  1. informal (intr, adverb) to work out; turn out; result

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pan out Idioms  

  1. Turn out well, succeed, as in If I don't pan out as a musician, I can always go back to school. This expression alludes to washing gold from gravel in a pan. [Mid-1800s]

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.

He believes shares will remain volatile and find a floor only after one of several potentially positive factors pans out.

From Barron's

Sebastian himself has a neutral rating on PayPal’s stock, lamenting some strategic choices that failed to pan out, in his view.

From MarketWatch

At this, the camera pans out to row upon row of white grave stones, seemingly all alike.

From Salon

It's untenable if it pans out that way.

From BBC

Bhave will now be watching the Treasury Department, IRS and internal bank data to see how the higher refund projections pan out.

From MarketWatch

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.