make something of
verb1
To transform (an object or person) into something worthwhile.
- My thousand a year is not merely a matter of dirty bank-notes and jaundiced guineas. […] I was determined to make something of it better than a fine old house to live in, than satin gowns to wear; […]1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Further Communications on Business”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 52:
- "A wife might make something of you."1922, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 8, in The Girl on the Boat:
1 more example
- "When you send that message and tell these kids that you can succeed and you can make something of your life, that’s a very important message."2011 November 22, Jeff Tully, “Oscar De La Hoya a hit at Boys & Girls Club”, in Los Angeles Times, retrieved 05 Sep 2018:
2
To develop an understanding or interpretation of.
- We couldn't make anything of his last remark.
- No doubt your head aches, trying to make something of my description.1860, Oliver Wendell Holmes, chapter 8, in The Professor at the Breakfast Table:
1 more example
- They tried to make something of the communique's vague phrase about maintaining Soviet-American contacts and they implied that President Kennedy now had Premier Nikita Khrushchev's invitation to drop in at the Kremlin for a visit anytime he chooses.1961 June 5, Chalmers M. Roberts, “Talks Fail to Evoke Any 'Spirit of Vienna'”, in Washington Post, retrieved 05 Sep 2018:
3
To insist on or emphatically challenge (a point or topic, especially one which may be a subject of disagreement).
- He's controversial. He's blunt. He could be a good New Yorker. That's my opinion. You wanna make something of it?1996 August 21, George Vecsey, “Does Reeves Entertain Death Wish?”, in New York Times, retrieved 05 Sep 2018:
- Related terms
- make something of oneself