'pan out' definitions:

Definition of 'pan out'

From: WordNet
verb
Be a success; "The idea panned out"
verb
Wash dirt in a pan to separate out the precious minerals [syn: pan, pan out, pan off]

Definition of 'pan out'

From: GCIDE
  • pan out \pan` out"\ (p[a^]n`out"),
  • 1. v. i. To succeed; as, the project didn't pan out. [PJC]
  • 2. To turn out (profitably or unprofitably); to result; to develop; as, the investigation, or the speculation, panned out poorly. [Slang, U. S.] [1913 Webster]