make it

phrase

1

: survive, live

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

2

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

3

: to have sexual intercourse

Examples of make it in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Directors Guild of Korea (DGK) has also come to the defense of the filmmakers, arguing that the backlash has spilled over from the film to the lives and livelihoods of the people who made it. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Maintaining Institutional Knowledge In my experience, some of the most important operational information never makes it into a database at all. — Justin Wisor, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Crew-13 made it to the station less than eight hours after launch — the quickest-ever ISS trip for an American spacecraft. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026

As recently as 2010, his album For You made it up to Number 48 on the chart. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for make it

• candlelit
• counterfeit
• hypocrite
• resubmit
• retrofit
• acquit
• admit
• armpit
• backlit
• befit
• cockpit
• commit