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
None of these national mood swings likely make sense to Curtrina Martin, her partner, and her son.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
Even the happy ending seems rooted less in choices that make sense for them than in a desire to acquiesce to formula.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025
The discovery began, as many breakthroughs do, with an observation that didn’t quite make sense.
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
There are a handful of ultra-high-net-worth pursuits that sound tempting, but don’t really make sense.
—J. George Gorant, Robb Report, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for make sense
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
Even the happy ending seems rooted less in choices that make sense for them than in a desire to acquiesce to formula.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025
The discovery began, as many breakthroughs do, with an observation that didn’t quite make sense.
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
There are a handful of ultra-high-net-worth pursuits that sound tempting, but don’t really make sense.
—J. George Gorant, Robb Report, 6 June 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 1 Jul. 2025.
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