make

verb \ ˈmāk \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of make

made play \ˈmād\; making

transitive verb

1 a obsolete : behave, act

b : to begin or seem to begin (an action)

made to go

2 a : 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

3 a : to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material : fashion

make a dress

b : compose, write

make verses

c : to lay out and construct

make a road

4 : to frame or formulate in the mind

make plans

5 : to put together from components : constitute

houses made of stone

6 a : 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

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

b : to set in order

make beds

c : prepare, fix

make dinner

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

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

9 a : to cause to be or become

made them happy

makes it possible

b : appoint

made him bishop

10 a : enact, establish

make laws

b : to execute (see execute 2) in an appropriate manner

make a will

c : set, name

make a price

11 a chiefly dialectal : shut

the doors are made against you
—William Shakespeare

b : to cause (an electric circuit) to be completed

12 a : 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

13 a : 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

14 a : 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

15 : to cause to act in a certain way : compel

make her give it back

16 : to cause or assure the success or prosperity of

can either make you or break you

17 a : to amount to in significance

makes a great difference

b : to form the essential being of

clothes make the man

c : to form by an assembling of individuals

make a quorum

d : to count as

that makes the third time you've said it

18 a : 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 6b

19 a : reach, attain

made port before the storm

—often used with it

you'll never make it that far

b : to gain the rank of

make major

c : to gain a place on or in

make the team

the story made the papers

d : to succeed in providing or obtaining

make bail

20 : to gain (something, such as money) by working, trading, or dealing

make a living

21 a : 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

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

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

23 a : 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 6b

made the bus just in time

24 : to persuade to consent to sexual intercourse : seduce

25 : to provide the most enjoyable or satisfying experience of

meeting the star of the show really made our day

intransitive verb

1 archaic : to compose poetry

2 a : behave, act

Don't make as if you didn't hear me.

b : to begin or seem to begin a certain action

made as though to hand it to me

c : to act so as to be or to seem to be

make merry

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

make like a chicken

3 : set out, head

made after the fox

made straight for home

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 have considerable effect

courtesy makes for safer driving

7 : to undergo manufacture or processing

the silk makes up beautifully

— 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 make up for (a deficiency)

made good previous neglect of his child

b : indemnify

make good the loss

c : to carry out successfully

made good their escape

made good on his promise

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 a : 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

2 : to have sexual intercourse

3 : survive, live

half the cubs won't make it through their first year

— make light of

: to treat as of little account

all these problems are humorously described but never made light of
—Susan Kenney

— make love

1 : woo, court

2 a : neck, pet

b : to engage in sexual intercourse

— 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 raise or spread sail

2 : to set out on a voyage

The ship made sail at midnight.

— 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 proceed at a walk or run

2 : to go in a hurry : run away, flee

she quickly made tracks for New York
—Glamour

— 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

See make defined for English-language learners

See make defined for kids

Examples of make in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of make from the Web

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

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.

Origin and Etymology of make

Middle English, from Old English macian; akin to Old High German mahhōn to prepare, make, Greek magēnai to be kneaded, Old Church Slavonic mazati to anoint, smear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

make Synonyms

Phrases

put together;

make

noun

Definition of make

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

b : brand 4a

2 : the physical, mental, or moral constitution of a person

men of his make are rare

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

2 : in quest of a higher social or financial status

3 : in search of sexual adventure

See make defined for English-language learners

Examples of make in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of make from the Web

Women on average make 80 cents on the dollar compared with men.

— colleen shalby, latimes.com, "Workplace equality won’t happen if women have to fight for it alone," 11 May 2018
Kids and families can make a themed make-and-take creative craft before the feature film.

— jennifer jhon, South Florida Parenting, "Pirate Festival, stage shows mark Mother's Day weekend," 8 May 2018
Both the nonlinearity and double-casting make piecing together the plot a bit of a struggle.

— julia m. klein, Philly.com, "'Hope and Gravity' at Plays and Players: Broad strokes, high energy, zigzags from dark to light," 4 May 2018
Even though using short-term rental taxes for affordable housing makes financial sense, the money is part of the tourist development taxes that are dedicated by state law to sports stadiums, convention activities, museums and other tourism draws.

— mary shanklin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Chipping away at Central Florida's housing needs isn't enough," 28 Apr. 2018
What should the public make of the fact that investigators found problems at Palomar Medical Center Escondido during multiple subsequent visits?

— paul sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Medicare surveys call for corrections at Palomar Medical Center," 30 Apr. 2018
Combined with Snead the Ravens have three players who came make catches in traffic.

— mike preston, baltimoresun.com, "Preston: Tight end Hurst gives Ravens instant weapon in passing game," 26 Apr. 2018
In a second call, Plush was able to say the make, model and color of his van, but that information never made it to police.

— cameron knight, Cincinnati.com, "Officers and operator who responded to Kyle Plush 911 call had high marks," 24 Apr. 2018
Portage Township teachers on average make roughly $42,000 while Gary teachers average roughly $56,000, according to Indiana Education Relations Board for 2016-17.

— meredith colias-pete, Post-Tribune, "Labor experts: Indiana teachers could strike despite laws," 13 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of make

see ¹make

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

MAKE Defined for Kids

make

verb \ ˈmāk \

Definition of make for Students

made \ˈmād\; making

1 : to form or put together out of material or parts

Do you know how to make a dress?

2 : to cause to exist or occur

Don't make trouble.

It makes a funny noise.

3 : to prepare food or drink

She made breakfast for us.

4 : to cause to be or become

Your visit made them happy.

5 : compel 1

Grandma will make them go to bed.

6 : to arrange the blankets and sheets on (a bed) so that the mattress is covered

7 : to combine to produce

Two and two make four.

8 : get 1, gain

We made a profit on the sale.

Does she make friends easily?

9 : ¹reach 2

We made it home.

10 : ¹do 1, perform

I'm making a speech.

He made a gesture.

11 : to act so as to be

Make sure you have your toothbrush.

—

maker

\ˈmā-kər\ noun

— make believe

: to act as if something known to be imaginary is real or true

— make fun of

: to cause to be the target of laughter in an unkind way

— make good

: fulfill 1, complete

I made good my promise.

— make out

1 : to write out

I'll make out a list.

2 : understand 1

I can't make out what this says.

3 : identify 1

I can't make out who it is.

4 : ¹fare

How did you make out on your tests?

— make up

1 : to create from the imagination

He made up a story.

2 : ²form 3, compose

Eleven players make up the team.

3 : to do something to correct or repay a wrong

Volunteer work made up for their mischief.

4 : to become friendly again

They quarreled but later made up.

5 : to put on makeup

6 : decide 1

I've finally made up my mind.

Synonym Discussion of make

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.

make

noun

Definition of make for Students

: ¹brand 2

What make of car did you buy?

Learn More about make

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make

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