Meaning trap
make out
see or understand with difficulty
To see, hear, or understand something or someone with difficulty, often because it is unclear or far away.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To see, hear, or understand something or someone with difficulty, often because it is unclear or far away.
Another meaning of 'make out' is 'claim or pretend'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- It was so foggy that I could barely make out the road ahead.daily life
- During the listening test, sometimes the recording isn't very clear, so it's hard to make out every word.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: make out + noun/pronoun
WrongI couldn't make out of his handwriting.
RightI couldn't make out his handwriting.
'Make out' takes the object directly — no 'of'.
Patternmake out + noun/pronoun
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Make out' is the everyday verb for barely seeing or hearing something; 'discern' is formal.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
make out + faint thingthe wordshis facethe signwhat she said
Don't confuse it
'Make out' is not the same as 'find out' (to discover information) or 'work out' (to solve a problem).
Related
- make out (claim or pretend) — Another meaning of 'make out' is 'claim or pretend'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.