pan out

verb

panned out; panning out; pans out

: to happen, end, or develop in a particular way : turn out

I'm really enjoying how this is all panning out now and it is so exciting and intriguing to watch and find out what happens next …—

Gary Neville

especially : succeed

… the signs revealed that the experiment wasn't panning out … —

Ronald Reagan

She [Dixie Hollins] noted that learning about arts and entertainment fills her creative side and works as a great plan B if her goal of working in the medical field doesn't pan out. —

Karin Davis-Thompson

Examples of pan out in a Sentence

the eagerly anticipated kayaking trip never panned out the investment scheme didn't quite pan out

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Finding the right solution required trial-and-error with myriad strategies that work for some, but didn’t pan out for her. —

Matt Fuchs, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024 Newsweek spoke to voters in the battleground state who have a mixed view of how the election will pan out. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024 Their relationship, though, took time to fully pan out. —

Makena Gera, People.com, 14 Oct. 2024 The camera pans out to show him, back in his Hot Topic eyeliner and earrings — but also in an extremely Scarlet Witch–esque metal crown that seems to confirm all our suspicions. —

Caroline Framke, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pan out