v., made (mād), mak·ing, makes. v.tr.
- To cause to exist or happen; bring about; create: made problems for us; making a commotion.
- To bring into existence by shaping, modifying, or putting together material; construct: make a dress; made a stone wall.
- To form by assembling individuals or constituents: make a quorum.
- To change from one form or function to another: make clay into bricks.
- To cause to be or become: made her position clear; a decision that made him happy.
- To cause to assume a specified function or role: made her treasurer; made Austin his home.
- To cause to act in a specified manner: Heat makes gases expand.
- To compel: made him quit.
- To form in the mind: make an estimate.
- To compose: make verses.
- To prepare; fix: make dinner.
- To get ready or set in order for use: made the bed.
- To gather and light the materials for (a fire).
- To engage in: make war.
- To carry out; perform: make a phone call; make an incision.
- To achieve, produce, or attain: made peace between the two sides; not making sense; didn't make the quota.
- To institute or establish; enact: make laws.
- To draw up and execute in a suitable form: make a will.
- To arrange or agree to: make a date.
- To arrive at; reach: made Seattle in two hours.
- To reach in time: just made the plane.
- To attain the rank or position of: made lieutenant.
- To acquire a place in or on: made the baseball team; made the newspapers.
- To gain or earn, as by working: make money.
- To behave so as to acquire: make friends.
- To score or achieve, as in a sport: made a field goal.
- To assure the success of: Favorable reviews can make a play.
- To favor the development of: Practice makes a winning team.
- To be suited for: Oak makes strong furniture.
- To develop into: will make a fine doctor.
- To draw a conclusion as to the significance or nature of: don't know what to make of the decision.
- To calculate as being; estimate: I make the height 20 feet.
- To consider as being: wasn't the problem some people made it.
- To constitute: Ten members make a quorum.
- To add up to: Two and two make four.
- To amount to: makes no difference.
- To cover (a distance): made 200 miles before sunset
- To constitute the essence or nature of: Clothes make the man.
- To cause to be especially enjoyable or rewarding: You made my day.
- To appear to begin (an action): She made to leave.
- Slang. To persuade to have sexual intercourse.
- To act or behave in a specified manner: make merry; make free.
- To begin or appear to begin an action: made as if to shake my hand.
- To cause something to be as specified: make ready; make sure.
- To proceed in a certain direction: made for home; made after the thief.
- Slang. To pretend to be; imitate. Used with like: made like a ballerina.
- To undergo fabrication or manufacture: This wool makes up into a warm shawl.
- To rise or accumulate: The tide is making.
- The act or process of making; manufacturing.
- The style or manner in which a thing is made: disliked the make of my coat.
- The amount produced, especially the output of a factory.
- A specific line of manufactured goods, identified by the manufacturer's name or the registered trademark: a famous make of shirt.
- The physical or moral nature of a person; character or disposition: found out what make of man he was.
- Slang. Identification of a person or thing, often from information in police records: Did you get a make on the thief?
make for
- To have or produce (a particular effect or result): small details that make for comfort.
- To help promote; further: makes for better communication.
- To depart in haste; run away.
- To discern or see, especially with difficulty: I could barely make out the traffic signs through the rain.
- To understand: could not make out what she said.
- To write out; draw up: made out the invoices.
- To fill in (a form, for example).
- Informal. To represent as being: made me out to be a liar.
- Informal. To try to establish or prove: He made out that he was innocent.
- To get along in a given way; fare: made out well in business.
- Slang.
- To neck; pet.
- To have sexual intercourse.
- To redo; renovate.
- To change or transfer the ownership of, usually by means of a legal document: made over the property to her son.
- To put together; construct or compose: make up a prescription.
- To constitute; form: Ten years make up a decade.
- To alter one's appearance for a role on the stage, as with a costume and cosmetics.
- To apply cosmetics.
- To devise as a fiction or falsehood; invent: made up an excuse.
- To make good (a deficit or lack): made up the difference in the bill.
- To compensate for: make up for lost time.
- To resolve a quarrel: kissed and made up.
- To make ingratiating or fawning overtures. Used with to: made up to his friend's boss.
- To take (an examination or course) again or at a later time because of previous absence or failure.
- To set in order: make up a room.
- Printing. To select and arrange material for: made up the front page.
- To bring into use: a flirt making with the eyes.
- To put forth; produce: always making with the jokes.
make a clean breast of
- To confess fully.
- To distort the features of the face; grimace.
- To achieve success in: have made a go of the business.
- To carry off; steal.
- To use up or consume.
- To kill or destroy.
- To pretend.
- To venture: I will not make so bold as to criticize such a scholar.
- To accept bets on a race, game, or contest.
- To manage to get along with the means available: had to make do on less income.
- To manage so that one's means are sufficient for one's needs.
- To ogle.
- To mock; ridicule.
- To carry out successfully: made good his escape.
- To fulfill: made good her promise.
- To make compensation for; make up for: made good the loss.
- To succeed: made good as a writer.
- To turn to one's advantage: The candidate's opponents made hay of the scandal.
- To understand: I couldn't make heads or tails of the report.
- To do something memorable or spectacular enough to influence the course of history: The first space flight made history.
- InformalTo achieve a goal; be successful.finally made it as an actor. To achieve a goal; be successful. finally made it as an actor.
- SlangTo have sexual intercourse. To have sexual intercourse.
- To treat as unimportant: He made light of his illness.
- To engage in amorous caressing.
- To engage in sexual intercourse.
- To treat as of great importance.
- To be forthright and candid about; acknowledge freely: They make no bones about their dislike for each other.
- To snatch or steal: made off with the profits.
- To give one great pleasure.
- To bring oneself to accept; reconcile oneself to.
- To go forward; advance.
- To succeed, especially in making a living.
- To begin a voyage.
- To set sail.
- To be coherent or intelligible: an explanation that made sense.
- To be practical or advisable: It makes sense to go now.
- To start a fight or quarrel over.
- To measure up to a given standard.
- To use to the greatest advantage.
- To put in an appearance: made the scene at the party.
- To participate in a specified activity: made the drug scene.
- To travel speedily.
- To travel at a specified rate: We made good time getting to town.
- SlangTo make progress toward attracting someone:tried to make time with the new neighbor. To make progress toward attracting someone: tried to make time with the new neighbor.
- To move or leave in a hurry.
- To decide between alternatives; come to a definite decision or opinion.
- To cause a disturbance or controversy.
- To give room for passage; move aside.
- To make progress.
- Aggressively striving for financial or social improvement: a young executive on the make.
- Eagerly seeking a sexual partner.
[Middle English maken, from Old English macian.]
makable mak'a·ble or make'a·ble adj.




