come out

Verb

come out (third-person singular simple present comes out, present participle coming out, simple past came out, past participle come out)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see come, out.
   • The mouse came out of the hole.
   • “It was nice that your dad let you come out with us,” I said as we walked through the woods, kicking up cornflakey bundles of leaves with every step.2009, Liz Kessler, Philippa Fisher and the Dream-Maker’s Daughter, Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, →ISBN, page 96
2. (intransitive) To be discovered; to be revealed.
   • It finally came out that he had been lying all the time.
   • Her lies will eventually come out.
3. (intransitive) To be published or released; to be issued; to be broadcast for the first time.
   • My new book comes out next week.
   • Her interview comes out in the next edition of the newspaper.
4. (dated, historical) To make a formal debut in society.
   • My daughter comes out in the spring.
   • "You would not trouble it much, child," returned Lady Anne, pettishly; "you know you are the plain one of the family. I do not know what I shall do with you when you come out; you will have no beauty but that of youth."1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 63
5. (copulative) To end up or result; to turn out to be.
   • There were a lot of problems at the start, but it all came out well in the end.
   • The photos came out fine.
6. To walk onto the field at the beginning of an innings.
7. (idiomatic, informal) To come out of the closet.
   • He came out to his parents as gay last week.
   • I had not come out yet and he was out but wasn't; quite ungay, I would say, and yet gay.2011, Allan Bérubé, My Desire for History: Essays in Gay, Community, and Labor History
8. To originate in; to derive from; to be taken from out of or to have arrived from.
   • That comes out of my paycheck.
   • He's the best player to come out of Ohio.
9. To express one's opinion openly.
   • You had come out in favor of the French Revolution.
   • I came right out and told the boss what I thought of him.
10. (moon or stars) To become visible in the sky as a result of clouds clearing away.
    • It's quite warm now the sun has come out.
11. To protest or go on strike, especially out of solidarity with other workers.
    • We got the folks at the Detroit plant to come out too.
    • We're coming out for the campaign and for all the struggling people out there.
12. To make a debut in a new field; to start off a career or reputation.
    • Here's some tips for coming out as an artist.
    • Spirit-rapping made easy; or, how to come out as a medium.