make out
3 meanings
see or hear something with difficulty
What does "make out" mean in this sense?
Examples
- I could barely make out his face in the thick fog.
- She squinted at the old map but couldn't make out the street names.
- Can you make out what the sign says from here?
How to use it
The most typical pattern — a modal verb combined with an adverb of limitation, emphasising how difficult it was to perceive something.
She could barely make out the path ahead through the dense fog.
Used when perception fails entirely, often describing a moment where someone tries but is unable to see or hear something.
I couldn't make out a single word he said over the noise of the crowd.
Used when the object is expressed as a question clause rather than a noun phrase, focusing on the content of what is perceived.
He squinted at the screen but couldn't make out what the message said.
When a pronoun is used, it follows 'out' directly — the two parts of the phrasal verb are not separated in this sense.
There was a sign on the door, but I couldn't make it out in the poor light.
A prepositional phrase describing the difficult conditions often follows the object to give more context.
From the top of the hill, she could just make out the church spire through the haze.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
This is the most common source of confusion. In the perceptual sense, the object is always a physical thing being seen or heard — a face, a shape, words, a voice. If the object is a clause describing someone's behaviour or character, the sentence belongs to a different sense of 'make out' meaning to claim or pretend.
Without a word like 'barely', 'hardly', or 'just', a sentence with this sense can sound unnatural or incomplete. The adverb signals the difficulty of perception, which is central to the meaning.
This sense of 'make out' is rarely used in the present continuous on its own. It sounds unnatural because the momentary effort to perceive something doesn't suit the ongoing action framing. Stick to modal constructions like 'can' or 'could'.
Usage
This sense is neutral and works in both speech and writing. It is very commonly used with adverbs like 'barely,' 'hardly,' or 'just' to emphasise the difficulty of perceiving something — without such a modifier, the sentence can sound incomplete.
describe someone or something as being a certain way, often unfairly
Sense 2: What does "make sb/sth out" mean?
Examples
- The documentary made out the CEO to be a ruthless villain, but the reality was far more complex.
- She's not as selfish as people make her out to be — she donates to charity every month.
- Why are you always making yourself out to be the victim in every argument?
How to use it
This is the core pattern. The object (a person, thing, or situation) is placed between 'make' and 'out', followed by 'to be' and a description.
The article made the new policy out to be a complete disaster, but most experts disagreed.
When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'make' and 'out' — it cannot come after 'out'.
I know she said some harsh things, but that doesn't mean you should make her out to be a terrible person.
The passive form is very natural with this sense, especially when describing someone who has been unfairly portrayed by others.
He was made out to be entirely responsible for the project's failure, even though others were involved.
The reflexive form is used when someone falsely or misleadingly portrays their own qualities or role.
She always makes herself out to be busier than she actually is.
This fixed expression is commonly used to push back against an exaggerated or negative portrayal of something.
The exam is not as difficult as it's made out to be — just study the key topics and you'll be fine.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
In modern English, the pattern requires 'to be' between the object and the complement. Leaving it out sounds archaic or unnatural to most speakers.
When the object is a pronoun, it must come between 'make' and 'out'. Placing the pronoun after 'out' is ungrammatical.
The 'represent' sense always has an object followed by 'to be + a description'. If there is no 'to be + complement', the sentence reads as the perception sense ('I could barely make out the writing'), not the misrepresentation sense.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works in both speech and writing. It almost always implies that the portrayal is unfair or untrue, so it is frequently used to defend someone who has been misrepresented.
manage or cope in a difficult situation
Sense 3: What does "make out" mean?
Examples
- They were lucky to make it out of the burning building in time.
- The earthquake was devastating — not everyone made it out alive.
- I still can't believe we made it out of that situation in one piece.
How to use it
The most common pattern, specifying what dangerous place or situation someone managed to escape from.
Only a handful of passengers made it out of the wreckage.
Used with 'alive' or 'in one piece' to stress that someone survived without serious harm.
The climbers were stranded for three days, but they all made it out alive.
Adverbs like 'barely', 'somehow', or 'luckily' are placed before 'make it out' to emphasise how difficult or unlikely the escape was.
She barely made it out before the roof collapsed.
Used after expressions of luck or effort to show that escape required something extra — fortune, determination, or skill.
They were lucky to make it out of the flooded tunnel before water levels rose further.
When the dangerous situation is already clear from context, the 'of + place' part can be left out.
The fire spread so fast — I'm still amazed anyone made it out.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
The 'it' in 'make it out' is a fixed part of this idiom and cannot be removed. Saying 'we made out of the fire' is incorrect in this sense.
Because 'it' is a frozen element of this idiom, not a real object, you cannot swap it for a noun or different pronoun. Doing so changes the meaning entirely.
This sense of 'make it out' describes a high-stakes, one-off event and sounds very unnatural in the present continuous. It is almost always used in past or future tenses, or with modal verbs.
Usage
This sense is informal and most natural in spoken English or personal narratives about dangerous situations. It is almost always used in past tense when recounting events, and often appears with adverbs like 'barely' or 'somehow' to emphasise difficulty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'make out' always have to be about seeing? Can it also be about hearing?
Yes — in this sense, 'make out' applies equally to hearing. You can struggle to make out someone's voice on a bad phone line just as easily as you can struggle to make out a shape in the dark. The common thread is difficulty in perceiving, whether through your eyes or your ears.
Can I use 'make out' without 'barely', 'hardly', or 'just'?
It's possible, but the sentence often feels incomplete without one of these adverbs. The whole point of this sense is that perception is difficult, so the adverb carries important information. Adding a phrase like 'in the fog' or 'through the noise' can also provide enough context on its own.
Does 'make out' in this sense have other meanings I should be aware of?
Yes — 'make out' has several unrelated meanings, including claiming or pretending something, filling in a document, and a couple of informal uses. The perceptual sense is easy to identify because the object is always a physical thing being seen or heard, like a face, a shape, or a voice.
Can I use 'make out' in the passive, for example 'the words could be made out'?
This is technically grammatical but very rarely used by native speakers in this sense. In natural English, the person doing the perceiving is almost always the subject: 'I could barely make out the words' rather than 'the words could barely be made out'.
What kinds of things can be the object of 'make out' in this sense?
The object is typically something you see or hear: a face, a figure, a shape, a silhouette, someone's voice, words, writing, a sign, or an outline. These are all things that exist in the physical world and are hard to perceive clearly due to poor conditions. If the object is a document like a cheque, or a clause like 'that he was tired', you're looking at a different sense of 'make out'.
Does 'make out to be' always suggest that the portrayal is false?
Almost always, yes. Even when someone uses it neutrally, there is a strong implication that the description is exaggerated or unfair. If you want to describe an accurate portrayal, verbs like 'describe' or 'portray' are more neutral choices.
Can I use 'make out to be' to talk about positive misrepresentation, like when someone is praised too much?
Yes, absolutely. The false or exaggerated portrayal can go in either direction. For example, 'His colleagues made him out to be a genius, but his ideas were fairly ordinary' shows an inflated, positive misrepresentation.
Is it natural to use 'make out to be' when talking about things, not just people?
Yes, it works very naturally with situations, problems, and abstract things. Phrases like 'make the problem out to be bigger than it is' or 'not as hard as it's made out to be' are extremely common.
Does this phrasal verb have other meanings?
Yes, 'make out' has several other meanings in English — for example, it can mean to see or hear something with difficulty, or to manage in a situation. A separate section on this page covers those other senses.
Is 'make out to be' more common in British or American English?
It is used in both, but it appears slightly more often in British English. American speakers are more likely to say 'portray as' or 'paint as' in the same situations, though 'make out to be' is perfectly understood and used in American English too.
Does 'make it out' always refer to a physical place, like a building or a crash?
Mostly, yes — it most naturally refers to escaping a physically dangerous place or event. However, it can also be used metaphorically for very difficult periods or situations, such as 'he barely made it out of that chapter of his life'. The key is that the situation must feel genuinely threatening or overwhelming, not just mildly inconvenient.
Can I use 'make it out' to talk about future or hypothetical situations?
Yes, though it most commonly appears in the past tense when someone is recounting an event. You can use it with modal verbs ('I don't know if they'll make it out') or in the infinitive ('they need to make it out before nightfall'). The present continuous, however, sounds unnatural with this sense.
What's the difference between 'make it out' and 'get out' when talking about escaping danger?
'Get out' simply describes the physical act of leaving a place. 'Make it out' carries an extra layer of meaning — it implies that escape was difficult, uncertain, or against the odds. Saying 'she made it out' suggests she was lucky or had to struggle; 'she got out' just tells you she left.
Does 'make out' always mean this when I see it in a text?
No — 'make out' has several other meanings, so context is important. The survival sense is always 'make it out (of somewhere)' with a dangerous situation implied. If there's no 'it' and no dangerous context, it likely has a different meaning. A separate section on this page covers the other senses.
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