1 A2 neutral
to become visible or emerge from inside
"The stars came out after sunset."
“
The truth will out.
— William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (closely related expression)
inseparable
come out
A2 neutral intransitive intransitive
to emerge, become known, be published, or leave a place
In plain English
to appear, become public, or go outside
What does "come out" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
to be published, released, or made available
"Her new novel comes out in June."
inseparable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral
to become known or be revealed
"More details came out during the investigation."
inseparable
4 B2 idiomatic neutral
to openly say that you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
"He came out to his family when he was twenty-one."
“
I am gay.
— Ellen DeGeneres, Time interview cover story context (1997); closely related to coming out
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
to move from inside to outside
Actually means
to appear, become public, or go outside
Usage tip
Very common with books, results, truth, stains, and identity. It also has an important modern sense about openly stating one's sexual orientation.
Words that pair with "come out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
book truth results sun stain gay
How to conjugate "come out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
come out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
comes out
he/she/it
Past simple
came out
yesterday
Past participle
come out
have + pp
-ing form
coming out
continuous
Hear "come out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "come out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "come out"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
appear be published be released be revealed emerge openly identify
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.