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
Trending Even if pop stardom doesn’t pan out, Fox is plenty busy.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Not all of his pre-recorded sketches have panned out, but the best of them—like a tongue-in-cheek focus group of real L.A. punk elders—thrive on Mulaney and his writers’ enthusiastic pop-culture geekery.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 10 May 2024
As the boat of partiers zoomed away into the choppy waters of the Boca Raton inlet, the video pans out to the spread of debris left floating in their wake.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 7 May 2024
Rundown: If Williams pans out as the Bears — and much of the NFL — expect, this should be a significant upgrade.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
Goldsberry’s character, Wickie, is the diva whose attempt at a solo career didn’t pan out.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 May 2024
Regarding the quarterbacks who’ll drive the telecasts and stir up giddiness among fans, the sad truth is this: half of the four to six expected to be chosen won’t pan out.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
This could pan out in different ways across Europe, but fundamentally, farmers could risk losing agricultural land in the process of its restoration.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 26 Mar. 2024
The way things panned out for the DCEU, and the significance of this data — three of the worst worst franchise falls in history were DCEU films from the last four years, remember — is further evidence the DCU might have an uphill fight.
—Mark Hughes, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Not all of his pre-recorded sketches have panned out, but the best of them—like a tongue-in-cheek focus group of real L.A. punk elders—thrive on Mulaney and his writers’ enthusiastic pop-culture geekery.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 10 May 2024
As the boat of partiers zoomed away into the choppy waters of the Boca Raton inlet, the video pans out to the spread of debris left floating in their wake.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 7 May 2024
Rundown: If Williams pans out as the Bears — and much of the NFL — expect, this should be a significant upgrade.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
Goldsberry’s character, Wickie, is the diva whose attempt at a solo career didn’t pan out.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 May 2024
Regarding the quarterbacks who’ll drive the telecasts and stir up giddiness among fans, the sad truth is this: half of the four to six expected to be chosen won’t pan out.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
This could pan out in different ways across Europe, but fundamentally, farmers could risk losing agricultural land in the process of its restoration.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 26 Mar. 2024
The way things panned out for the DCEU, and the significance of this data — three of the worst worst franchise falls in history were DCEU films from the last four years, remember — is further evidence the DCU might have an uphill fight.
—Mark Hughes, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pan out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pan out
Cite this Entry
“Pan out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pan%20out. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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