come out
Formscomes out, coming out, came out, come out
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- 3To tell people for the first time that you are gay, bisexual or transgender.
She came out to her best friend when she was sixteen.
It took him years to feel safe enough to come out.
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- 5To end in a certain way, good or bad.
My painting came out better than I hoped.
If you follow the recipe, the soup should come out thick and creamy.
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- 7To go away after washing or cleaning, said of a stain or dirty mark.
The grass stain on my jeans finally came out.
Will this ink come out if I wash it?
- 8To say clearly and openly what you think about something.
The mayor came out against the plan to close the park.
I wish she would just come out and say what she means.
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- 9To reach the end of a period of time or a process and leave it behind.
She came out of a hard year feeling stronger than before.
We will come out of this difficult time together.
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- 10To be from a certain place or source, or to be taken from it.
The money for the trip will come out of my savings.
Some of the best ideas came out of that small meeting.
- 11To start a new career or first become known in a new kind of work.
After years of writing for herself, she came out as a novelist with her first book.
Every year, a few students from the art school come out as painters at the big summer show.
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- 12To start with something, for example at the beginning of a game.
She came out with her best card and won the first round.
Our team likes to come out with a fast attack in the first minute.
Similarstart (entry), open
- 13To stop working or join a protest, often to support other workers.
When the factory workers went on strike, the drivers came out too.
If the bosses don't listen, we will all come out on Monday.
Similarstrike
- 14To be formally presented to rich and important people for the first time, said of a young woman.
Her older sister came out at a grand ball in the city.
The 1958 “coming out” season, where young women were launched into high society, was the last ceremony hosted by the monarch.
2024, Owen Bowcott, “Rose Dugdale obituary”Here, coming out means young women being formally introduced into high society.Similardebut
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- 15In cricket, to walk onto the field to start batting.
The two openers came out to loud cheers.
The captain will come out to bat after lunch.
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- 16To join a church or start following a religion.
My uncle came out at the big church meeting and was baptized the next week.
The preacher asked if anyone wanted to come out and join the church that night.
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Practice
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