make

verb

\ ˈmāk

made\ ˈmād

\; making; makes

Definition of make

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material : fashion make a dress

b : to lay out and construct make a road

c : compose, write make verses

2 : to put together from components : constitute houses made of stone

3a : to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone made trouble for us

b : to cause to exist, occur, or appear : create make a disturbance

c : to favor the growth or occurrence of haste makes waste

d : to fit, intend, or destine by or as if by creating was made to be an actor

4a : enact, establish make laws

b : to execute (see execute sense 2) in an appropriate manner make a will

c : set, name make a price

5a : to cause to be or become made them happy makes it possible

b : appoint made him bishop

6 : to cause to act in a certain way : compel make her give it back

7a : to carry out (an action indicated or implied by the object) make war make a speech make a detour

b : to perform with a bodily movement make a sweeping gesture

8 : to frame or formulate in the mind make plans

9a : to set in order make beds

b : prepare, fix make dinner

c : to assemble and set alight the materials for (a fire)

d : to shuffle (a deck of cards) in preparation for dealing

10a : to amount to in significance makes a great difference

b : to count as that makes the third time you've said it

c : to form the essential being of clothes make the man

d : to form by an assembling of individuals make a quorum

11a : to be or be capable of being changed or fashioned into rags make the best paper

b : to develop into she will make a fine judge

c : form sense 6b

12a : reach, attain made port before the storm —often used with it you'll never make it that far

b : to gain a place on or in make the team the story made the papers

c : to gain the rank of make major

d : to succeed in providing or obtaining make bail

13 : to gain (something, such as money) by working, trading, or dealing make a living

14a : to act so as to earn or acquire makes friends easily makes poor grades

b : to score in a game or sport make a field goal make a birdie

c : to convert (a split) into a spare in bowling

d : to succeed in holing make a putt

15a : to conclude as to the nature or meaning of something what do you make of this development?

b : to regard as being not the fool some make him

16a : to produce as a result of action, effort, or behavior with respect to something make a mess of the job tried to make a thorough job of it

b archaic : to turn into another language by translation

17a : to include in a route or itinerary make New York on the return trip —often used with it make it to the party

b : catch sense 6b made the bus just in time

18 : to cause or assure the success or prosperity of can either make you or break you

19 : to provide the most enjoyable or satisfying experience of meeting the star of the show really made our day

20a : to compute or estimate to be I make it 23 miles to the border from here.

b : to form and hold in the mind make no doubt of it

21a : to begin or seem to begin (an action) made to go

b obsolete : behave, act

22a : to fulfill (a contract) in a card game

b : to win a trick (see trick entry 1 sense 4) with (a card)

23 : to prepare (hay) by cutting, drying, and storing

24a : to cause (an electric circuit) to be completed

b chiefly dialectal : shut the doors are made against you— William Shakespeare

25 : to persuade to consent to sexual intercourse : seduce

intransitive verb

1 : to have considerable effect courtesy makes for safer driving

2 : set out, head made after the fox made straight for home

3a : to begin or seem to begin a certain action made as though to hand it to me

b : to act so as to be or to seem to be make merry

c : behave, act Don't make as if you didn't hear me.

d slang : to play a part —usually used with like make like a chicken

4 : to increase in height or size the tide is making now

5 : to reach or extend in a certain direction The forest makes up nearly to the snow line.

6 : to undergo manufacture or processing the silk makes up beautifully

7 archaic : to compose poetry

make a face or make faces

: to distort one's features : grimace He made a face when I mentioned her name.

make a mountain out of a molehill

: to treat a trifling matter as of great importance

make away with

1 : to carry off : steal made away with all the money

2 : kill

make believe

: pretend, feign made believe that everything was all right

make bold

: venture, dare making bold to think of himself as a guardian of culture— W. H. Pritchard

make book

: to accept bets at calculated odds on all the entrants in a race or contest a bartender who made book on the side

make common cause

: to unite to achieve a shared goal attempted to make common cause with the radicals in areas they could agree on

make do

: to get along or manage with the means at hand will just have to make do with what we've got

make ends meet

: to make one's means adequate to one's needs did all they could do to make ends meet

make eyes

: ogle Some guy was making eyes at her from across the room.

make friends with

: to establish a friendship or friendly relations with made friends with his new neighbors

make fun of

: to make an object of amusement or laughter : ridicule, mock the movie made fun of macho pretensions— Pauline Kael

make good

1 or make good on : to make valid or complete: such as

a : to carry out successfully made good their escape made good on his promise

b : indemnify make good the loss

c : to make up for (a deficiency) made good previous neglect of his child

d : prove made good a charge

2 : to prove to be capable also : succeed The play made good at the box office.

make hay

: to make use of a situation or circumstance especially in order to gain an advantage The candidate made hay of his opponent's scandalous behavior.

make head

1 : to make progress especially against resistance they made head against the wind— Charles Dickens

2 : to rise in armed revolt riflemen who … were called on to make head against a series of resolute efforts to drive them from Kentucky— Theodore Roosevelt

make it

1 : survive, live half the cubs won't make it through their first year

2a : to be successful trying to make it in the big time as a fashion photographer— Joe Kane

b : to be satisfactory or pleasing if it isn't danceable, it doesn't make it for me— Judy Hyman

3 : to have sexual intercourse

make light of

: to treat as of little account all these problems are humorously described but never made light of— Susan Kenney

make love

1a : to engage in sexual intercourse

b : neck, pet

2 : woo, court

make much of

1 : to treat as of importance The drill sergeant made much of his toughness.

2 : to treat with obvious affection or special consideration she had evidently enjoyed being made much of in Youngstown — New Yorker

make nice

: to be deliberately and often insincerely polite and agreeable must make nice to politicians they cannot stand— Ken Auletta

make no bones

: to be straightforward, unhesitating, or sure makes no bones about the seriousness of the matter

make one's mark

: to achieve success or fame made his mark as a literary critic— Eric Partridge

make public

: disclose None of those disagreements were made public.

make sail

1 : to set out on a voyage The ship made sail at midnight.

2 : to raise or spread sail

make shift

: to manage with difficulty We didn't have much money, but we made shift.

make sport of

: ridicule, mock it visibly grieved him when the rest of us made sport of our schoolmates— Tobias Wolff

make the grade

: to measure up to some standard : be successful clever and energetic enough to make the grade in a good law firm— John Train

make the most of

: to show or use to the best advantage made the most of her talents

make the scene

: to be present at or participate in a usually specified activity or event small time poets just making the scene at readings or in little mags— B. Frazer

make time

1 : to travel fast made fast time

2 : to gain time have to make time to get to the bank before it closes

3 : to make progress toward winning favor trying to make time with the waitress

make tracks

1 : to go in a hurry : run away, flee she quickly made tracks for New York — Glamour

2 : to proceed at a walk or run

make use of

: to put to use : employ Students made good use of the new gymnasium.

make water

1 of a boat : leak

2 : urinate

make waves

: to create a stir or disturbance continues to make waves with his unique, highly opinionated approach— Suzanne Biallot

make way

1 : to give room for passing, entering, or occupying many of the old villas were being torn down to make way for high rises— William Murray

2 : to make progress

make with

slang : produce, perform —usually used with the Straighten up and walk … make with the feet— Raymond Chandler

make

noun

Definition of make (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : brand sense 4a

b : the manner or style in which a thing is constructed

2 : the physical, mental, or moral constitution of a person men of his make are rare

3a : the action of producing or manufacturing

b : the actual yield or amount produced over a specified period : output

4 : the act of shuffling cards also : turn to shuffle

on the make

1 : in quest of a higher social or financial status

2 : in search of sexual adventure

3 : in the process of forming, growing, or improving

Other Words from make Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about make

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Choose the Right Synonym for make

Verb

make, form, and manufacture mean to cause to come into being. make is a word that can be used of many kinds of creation. She knows how to make a chair. They made many friends. form is used when the thing brought into being has a design or structure. The colonies formed a new nation. manufacture is used for the act of making something in a fixed way and usually by machinery. The company manufactures cars.

Examples of make in a Sentence

Verb

He works in a factory that makes jet engines. She made the curtains herself. He collected wood to make a fire. She used cheese and a mixture of other ingredients to make a delicious sauce. Someone was making a disturbance. The car's engine has been making a strange noise lately. The rock made a dent in the car's fender. I'm not trying to make trouble. The typist made a mistake. I called the doctor's office to make an appointment.

Noun

“What make of car is that?” “I think it's a Ford.”

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Houghton said he and the other riders are asking management to make sure there are adequate safety policies in place, not only during live racing, but also during morning training hours. — Dennis Manoloff, cleveland.com, "Kentucky Derby 2018: Post positions for Triple Crown race at Churchill Downs," 1 May 2018 What if a personal appearance choice is referenced to make a point about an individual’s behavior? — Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, "There’s a difference between shade, eyeshadow and shaming," 1 May 2018 Conservatives had to pinch themselves to make sure this was really happening. — Dahleen Glanton, chicagotribune.com, "Conservatives may be misreading Kanye West and his pro-Trump tweets," 1 May 2018 Not only are users in love with the fast, reliable shipping (especially for Prime members), but the multitude of real buyer reviews is one the easiest ways to make an informed purchase. — Allure, "The 18 Most Popular Beauty Products On Amazon," 1 May 2018 Would Riley be willing to make things work to finally get his whale? — Jordan Mcpherson, miamiherald, "Pat Riley's possible Heat dilemma: Balancing continuity with going 'all-in' on a star | Miami Herald," 1 May 2018 Self-described as whimsically macabre, the brewery’s ethos reminds patrons to make the most of their time on Earth. — Jennifer Mcclellan, azcentral, "31 new restaurants opened in Phoenix in April, chains and independents," 1 May 2018 Mitch has the authority to make all the decisions relative to basketball. — Rick Bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Expectations for next Hornets’ coach? Team wants to see improvement in one key area. | Charlotte Observer," 1 May 2018 Pappoe is set to make his decision between Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee. — Tom Green, AL.com, "Decision Day for 5-star linebacker Owen Pappoe and 4-star offensive tackle Wanya Morris," 1 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

That gives their appearances a make-or-break, nothing-to-lose sort of vibe. — Wired, "What to Look for in CNN's 'Climate Crisis' Town Hall Tonight," 4 Sep. 2019 Since only six candidates have met the doubly high thresholds to qualify for the next round of debates, the July debate is a make-or-break moment for many remaining contenders. — Madeleine Joung, Time, "The Second 2020 Democratic Debate Is Almost Here. Here’s Everything You Need to Know," 28 July 2019 The former special counsel is in Washington today for a pair of blockbuster congressional hearings that could serve as a make-or-break moment for Democratic leaders deciding whether to pursue an impeachment inquiry. — Aj Willingham, CNN, "5 things to know for July 24: Mueller, UK Prime Minister, Puerto Rico, ICE, sonic attacks," 24 July 2019 The debates could be a make-or-break moment for low-polling candidates. — Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY, "Here are the candidates who will be on stage for the second 2020 Democratic debate," 17 July 2019 For Gillibrand, the debate could be a make or break moment as she's struggled to make inroads in polls and fundraising. — Laurie Kellman, chicagotribune.com, "What to watch for on debate night 2: Biden, Bernie and other stars take the stage," 27 June 2019 In response, housing advocates had circled 2019 as a make-or-break year. — Alden Woods, azcentral, "You need to work 71 hours a week to afford a 2-bedroom home in Arizona, a new report says," 19 June 2019 The Detroit Lions enter what many believe to be a make-or-break season for head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn. — Greg Levinsky, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions making the playoffs this year? Chances at under 20%," 17 June 2019 The debate is likely a make-or-break time for any chance Ryan has at gaining any momentum. — cleveland.com, "Tim Ryan qualifies for first Democratic presidential debates," 13 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'make.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.