Make out Definition 1 of 5Pro Tip 1/3Strained Comprehension Indicates struggling to grasp unclear speech or writing. Could you speak up? I can barely make out your words. Pro Tip 2/3Close Attention Needed Requires focusing closely to distinguish details. In the fog, we had to really focus to make out the sign. Pro Tip 3/3Contextual Guesswork Sometimes based on partial understanding and guessing. From his gestures, I could make out he needed help.