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Synonyms

pan out

British  

verb

  1. informal (intr, adverb) to work out; turn out; result

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pan out Idioms  

  1. Turn out well, succeed, as in If I don't pan out as a musician, I can always go back to school. This expression alludes to washing gold from gravel in a pan. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When that didn’t pan out, he pitched what would eventually become “Survivor,” developing it with Buena Vista in hopes of selling it to ABC.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

He didn’t repudiate his warnings when they failed to pan out, yet didn’t lose his popularity or prestige.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Amid the backdrop of heavy spending, the company’s AI effort is a “show me” story that has yet to pan out.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

This auditioning might pan out for individual judges, but it’s a profound problem for the judiciary.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

My sister and I tried to find common ground with our half-American cousins, but that took a while to pan out.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.