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
Gary Neville
especially
: succeed
… the signs revealed that the experiment wasn't panning out … —Ronald Reagan
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
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
Kawhi Leonard's time with the Los Angeles Clippers hasn't panned out the way team owner Steve Ballmer had hoped.
—Evan Bell, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
And the camera pans out on a shot of the two of them outside the beach house, with its promises of summer and the beautiful things yet to come.
—Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
Wenger still faces sentencing in that case, regardless of how the civil rights trial pans out.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
The scientists’ bifurcation models had panned out in nature.
—Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pan out
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.
Evan Bell, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
And the camera pans out on a shot of the two of them outside the beach house, with its promises of summer and the beautiful things yet to come.
—Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
Wenger still faces sentencing in that case, regardless of how the civil rights trial pans out.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
The scientists’ bifurcation models had panned out in nature.
—Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pan out
Cite this Entry
“Pan out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pan%20out. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share