make out — see or understand with difficulty
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To see, hear, or understand something or someone with difficulty, often because it is unclear or far away.
Say it like a native
Textbook I was unable to discern the figures in the distance.
Native I couldn't make out the figures in the distance.
'Make out' is the everyday verb for barely seeing or hearing something; 'discern' is formal.
Pattern: make out + noun/pronoun
In use
- 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
Common mistake
✗ I couldn't make out of his handwriting.
✓ I couldn't make out his handwriting.
'Make out' takes the object directly — no 'of'.
Common collocations
make out + faint thing— the words, his face, the sign, what 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.