coming out
Americannoun
-
a debut into society, especially a formal debut by a debutante.
-
one's acknowledgment and public disclosure of a sexual orientation or gender identity that does not conform to socially defined norms.
How did your parents respond to your coming out?
-
an acknowledgment of a surprising interest or hobby, or an unexpected identification as part of a fandom, a supporter of a particular political party, etc.
Etymology
Origin of coming out
First recorded in 1805–15; noun use of verb phrase come out; see -ing 1
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.
One complication: Many tech companies overhired coming out of the pandemic, and then began reducing their workforces right around when ChatGPT was first released in November 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
“The strong job market coming out of the pandemic lifted their pay, and income inequality narrowed a bit, but little of that turned into wealth.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026
"It's like after 2007 when Apple invented the iPhone. Nokia started coming out with good smartphones by 2009, 2010, but it was too late, people just didn't think of them as smartphone-makers."
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
It’s one of the few times I can remember all of my road crew coming out for a song.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
I turned around and almost jumped at the sight of a female figure coming out of the shadows from behind the storehouse, like a ghost.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
