make sense
idiom
1
: to have a clear meaning : to be easy to understand
We read the recommendations and thought they made (perfect) sense.
The instructions don't make any sense (at all).
The instructions make no sense (at all).
You're not making much sense (to me).
2
: to be reasonable
It makes sense to leave early to avoid traffic.
It makes little/no sense to continue.
Why would he do such an awful thing? It makes no sense (to me).
Examples of make sense in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But this is the constant problem of trying to make sense of the signs from people in Trump’s orbit—the recurrent use of white supremacists’ favorite sequence of numbers, ambiguous (and sometimes unambiguous) Nazi salutes, and other dog-whistling.
—
Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025
Leapfrog releases safety grades twice a year and is one of a number of organizations that rates hospitals, aiming to help consumers and employers that buy health insurance make sense of a thicket of complex data about hospitals.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025
Read on for expert tips on the kinds of investments and upgrades to a temporary space that make sense in the long term.
—Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2025
That added to the perception that ownership drove a selection that wouldn’t make sense to team builders.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for make sense
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025
Leapfrog releases safety grades twice a year and is one of a number of organizations that rates hospitals, aiming to help consumers and employers that buy health insurance make sense of a thicket of complex data about hospitals.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025
Read on for expert tips on the kinds of investments and upgrades to a temporary space that make sense in the long term.
—Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2025
That added to the perception that ownership drove a selection that wouldn’t make sense to team builders.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for make sense
Cite this Entry
“Make sense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20sense. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share