turn out to be sth
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to be discovered to be something, especially when you did not expect it.
phrasal verb. to prove to be the case; to be revealed as having a particular quality or identity in the end.
The movie turned out to be very boring.
The stranger I met at the airport turned out to be my new boss.
Although the initial data suggested a significant decline in sales, the final quarterly report turned out to be surprisingly positive.
often followed by an adjective or a noun phrase; can also be used with 'that' clauses.
contrast with 'become' (which implies a change over time); 'turn out to be' implies a discovery of a truth that was already there but unknown.
He turned out being a spy.He turned out to be a spy.this phrasal verb requires the infinitive 'to be' rather than the gerund '-ing' form.
Last updated April 24, 2026