make meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

make

verb

/meɪk/ · [meɪkʲ]

Etymology

From Middle English macen, machiæ, macian, macke, mak, make, maken, makiȝe, from Old English macian (“to build, make, work”), from Proto-West Germanic *makōn (“to build, make, work”), from *mak (“agreeable, comfortable, fit, suitable”), from Proto-Germanic *makaz (“agreeable, comfortable, fit, suitable”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂ǵ-, *meh₂ḱ- (“to knead”) or *meg- (“to be comfortable, pleasant”). Related to match. Cognates Cognate with Scots mak (“to make”), Yola maak, maake (“to make”), North Frisian maage, maaki, mååge (“to make”), Saterland Frisian moakje (“to make; to repair; to prepare; to preach; to earn”), West Frisian meitsje (“to make”), Alemannic German mache (“to make; to do”), Bavarian måcha, måchn (“to make; to do; to go; to cause; to play; to matter; to look”), Cimbrian machan (“to make”), Dutch and Low German maken (“to make”), German machen (“to make; to do; to go; to cause; to play; to fare; to look”), Luxembourgish maachen, man (“to make; to do; to take; to equal; to put”), Mòcheno mòchen (“to make”), Vilamovian mahha (“to make; to do”), Yiddish מאַכן (makhn, “to create, make; to do; to say”); also probably Irish mám (“yoke; duty, obligation; function, service”), Latin mācerō (“to soften; to weaken; to mortify; to torture”), Ancient Greek μάσσω (mássō, “to handle, knead; to wipe”), Bulgarian ма́жа (máža, “to smear; to oil”), Czech mazat (“to lubricate; to spread; to smear; to scribble; to erase”), Polish mazać (“to smear; to scribble; to pule, whimper”), Russian ма́зать (mázatʹ, “to oil; to paint; to smear; to soil; to miss”), Serbo-Croatian ма̏зати, mȁzati (“to smear; to dirty”), Ukrainian ма́зати (mázaty, “to smear”), Old Armenian մած (mac, “glued together, joined; coagulated, curdled; adhesive, sticking; compact; dense”), Hindi मचाना (macānā, “to cause, raise, wreak”).

42 senses

1To build, construct, produce, or originate.
2To write or compose.
3To bring about; to effect or produce by means of some action.
4To create (the universe), especially (in Christianity)…
5To prepare (food); to cook (food).
6To behave, to act.
7To tend; to contribute; to have effect; with for or against.
8To constitute.
9To add up to, have a sum of.
10To interpret.
11To bring into success.
12To cause to be.
13To cause to appear to be; to represent as.
14To cause (to do something); to compel (to do something).
15To force to do.
16To indicate or suggest to be.
17To cover neatly with bedclothes.
18To recognise, identify, spot.
19To arrive at a destination, usually at or by a certain time.
20To proceed (in a direction).
21To cover (a given distance) by travelling.
22To move at (a speed).
23To appoint; to name.
24To induct into the Mafia or a similar organization (as a…
25To defecate or urinate.
26To earn, to gain (money, points, membership or status).
27To pay, to cover (an expense); chiefly used after…
28To compose verses; to write poetry; to versify.
29To enact; to establish.
30To develop into; to prove to be.
31To study or train so as to become (a profession); to…
32To form or formulate in the mind.
33To perform a feat.
34To gain sufficient audience to warrant its existence.
35To act in a certain manner; to have to do; to manage; to…
36To increase; to augment; to accrue.
37To be engaged or concerned in.
38To cause to be (in a specified place), used after a…
39To take the virginity of.
40To have sexual intercourse with.
41Of water, to flow toward land; to rise.
42To establish two or more men on (a point) so that it…

› To create.

To build, construct, produce, or originate.

We made a bird feeder for our yard.
I'll make a man out of him yet.

4 more examples

He makes deodorants.
Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
Yet in “Through a Latte, Darkly”, a new study of how Starbucks has largely avoided paying tax in Britain, Edward Kleinbard[…]shows that current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate what he calls “stateless income”:[…]. In Starbucks’s case, the firm has in effect turned the process of making an expensive cup of coffee into intellectual property.2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2023, page 68:

To write or compose.

I made a poem for her wedding.
He made a will.

To bring about; to effect or produce by means of some action.

make war
They were just a bunch of ne'er-do-wells who went around making trouble for honest men.

1 more example

But whether or not the VCR makes a complete comeback, VHS enthusiasts agree that these tapes occupy an irreplaceable place in culture.2021 February 20, Hannah Selinger, “Who Is Still Buying VHS Tapes?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 28 Mar 2022:

To create (the universe), especially (in Christianity) from nothing.

God made earth and heaven.
Thine are these orbs of light and shade; ⁠Thou madest Life in man and brute; ⁠Thou madest Death; and lo, thy foot Is on the skull which thou hast made.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Prologue”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:

To prepare (food); to cook (food).

I'm making cereal for breakfast. Who wants some?

Colloquial To behave, to act.

To make like a deer caught in the headlights.
They made nice together, as if their fight never happened.

1 more example

He made as if to punch him, but they both laughed and shook hands.

To tend; to contribute; to have effect; with for or against.

And all Israel's language about this power, except that it makes for righteousness, is approximate language1873, Matthew Arnold, Literature and Dogma:
Follow after the things which make for peace.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 14:19:

1 more example

Considerations infinite Do make against it.c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

To constitute.

They make a cute couple.
This makes the third infraction.

4 more examples

One swallow does not a summer make.
We made an odd party before the arrival of the Ten, particularly when the Celebrity dropped in for lunch or dinner. He could not be induced to remain permanently at Mohair because Miss Trevor was at Asquith, but he appropriated a Hempstead cart from the Mohair stables and made the trip sometimes twice in a day.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
Style alone does not make a writer.1995, Harriette Simpson Arnow: Critical Essays on Her Work, p.46
So if your prospective school is proudly displaying that "We Are Outstanding" banner on its perimeter fence, well, that is wonderful … but do bear in mind that in all likelihood it has been awarded for results in those two subjects, rather than for its delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum which brings out the best in every child. Which is, of course, what makes a great primary school.2014 September 23, A teacher, “Choosing a primary school: a teacher's guide for parents”, in The Guardian:

To add up to, have a sum of.

Two and four make six.

Construed with of To interpret.

Typically interrogative

I don’t know what to make of it.
They couldn't make anything of the inscription.

1 more example

What time do you make it?

Stressed, Usually To bring into success.

This company is what made you.
She married into wealth and so has it made.

2 more examples

who makes or ruins with a smile or frown1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):
A great expression and amazing eye contact, in particular, can make a photograph, and without them, you can end up with very little.2006, Michael Grecco, Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait, Amphoto Books, →ISBN, page 124:

To cause to be.

Second object is an adjective or participle

The blisters on my foot made it a problem to walk without a cane.
The citizens made their objections clear.

4 more examples

This might make you a bit woozy.
Did I make myself heard?
Scotch will make you a man.
Mom made it clear what she expected from me in college.

To cause to appear to be; to represent as.

Homer makes Aphrodite the daughter of Zeus, unlike Hesiod who depicted her as born from the sea foam.
1709–1710, Thomas Baker, Reflections on Learning He is not that goose and Ass that Valla would make him.

1 more example

So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills,[…]a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

To cause (to do something); to compel (to do something).

Second object is a verb

You're making her cry.
I was made to feel like a criminal.

1 more example

In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.[…]Strangers might enter the room, but they were made to feel that they were there on sufferance: they were received with distance and suspicion.1892, Walter Besant, chapter III, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:

To force to do.

Second object is a verb; can be stressed for emphasis or clarity; second object is a verb; can be stressed for emphasis or clarity

The teacher made the student study harder.
Don’t let them make you suffer.

Of a fact To indicate or suggest to be.

His past mistakes don’t make him a bad person.

Of a bed To cover neatly with bedclothes.

Government, Law enforcement US, Slang To recognise, identify, spot.

I caught sight of him two or three times and then made him turning north into Laurel Canyon Drive.1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 33:
Linus Caldwell: Well, she just made Danny and Yen, which means in the next 48 hours the three o' your pictures are gonna be in every police station in Europe.2004, George Nolfi et al., Ocean's Twelve, Warner Bros. Pictures, 0:50:30

1 more example

David Sinclair: (walking) Almost at Seventh; I should have a visual any second now. (rounds a corner, almost collides into Kaleed Asan) Damn, that was close. Don Eppes: David, he make you? David Sinclair: No, I don't think so.2007 May 4, Andrew Dettmann et al., "Under Pressure", episode 3-22 of Numb3rs, 00:01:16

Colloquial To arrive at a destination, usually at or by a certain time.

We should make Cincinnati by 7 tonight.
I won't be able to make dinner; something's come up at work.

1 more example

They that sail in the middle can make no land of either side.1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC:

Colloquial To proceed (in a direction).

They made westward over the snowy mountains.
Make for the hills! It's a wildfire!

2 more examples

They made away from the fire toward the river.
As the guard's whistle shrilled the "right away," I made to join my companions in the train, but with a smile the driver, whose name was Abdul, bade me take the fireman's seat.1942 July-August, Philip Spencer, “On the Footplate in Egypt”, in Railway Magazine, page 208:

To cover (a given distance) by travelling.

I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
I made over twenty miles that day, for I was now hardened to fatigue and accustomed to long hikes, having spent considerable time hunting and exploring in the immediate vicinity of camp.1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter VIII, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, (please specify |part=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, 1927, →OCLC:

To move at (a speed).

The ship could make 20 knots an hour in calm seas.
This baby can make 220 miles an hour.

To appoint; to name.

On November 15, 1396,[…]Benedict XIII made him bishop of Noyon;1991, Bernard Guenée, Between Church and State: The Lives of Four French Prelates, →ISBN:

Slang To induct into the Mafia or a similar organization (as a made man).

Jimmy Conway: They're gonna make him. Henry Hill: Paulie's gonna make you?1990, Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas:

Colloquial, Euphemistic To defecate or urinate.

When my father comes back with a dark wet spot on his pants, right in front, as if he has made in his pants, he starts eating his food in great shovelfuls.1992, Merrill Joan Gerber, The kingdom of Brooklyn, page 30:
"He made in his pants, okay? I hope everybody's satisfied!" She flung her hat on the floor and kicked it. "He'll never come back to school now! Never! And it's all your fault!2003, Mary Anne Kelly, The Cordelia Squad, page 121:

To earn, to gain (money, points, membership or status).

They hope to make a bigger profit.
He didn't make the choir after his voice changed.

4 more examples

She made ten points in that game.
Wales' defence had an unfamiliar look with Cardiff youngster Darcy Blake preferred to 44-cap Danny Gabbidon of Queen's Park Rangers, who did not even make the bench.2011 September 2, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC:
Bart spies an opportunity to make a quick buck so he channels his inner carny and posits his sinking house as a natural wonder of the world and its inhabitants as freaks, barking to dazzled spectators, “Behold the horrors of the Slanty Shanty! See the twisted creatures that dwell within! Meet Cue-Ball, the man with no hair!”2012 May 20, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: The Simpsons (classic): “Marge Gets A Job” (season 4, episode 7; originally aired 11/05/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:
I lived in tiny apartments with rotating roommates, paying rent wildly disproportionate to what I made.2026 April 22, Jillian Sanders, “The Danger of Surrendering Your Financial Independence in a Relationship”, in TIME, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2026:

To pay, to cover (an expense); chiefly used after expressions of inability.

Whether, […], the construction of additional roads […] would present a case in which the exaction of prohibitory or otherwise onerous rates may be prevented, though it result in an impossibility for some or all of the roads to make expenses, we need not say; no such case is before us.1889 May 1, Chief Justice George P. Raney, Pensacola & A. R. Co. v. State of Florida (judicial opinion), reproduced in The Southern Reporter, Volume 5, West Publishing Company, p.843
At first glance, you may be able to make rent and other overhead expenses because the business is doing well, but if sales drop can you still make rent?2005, Yuvi Shmul, Ron Peltier, Make It Big with Yuvi: How to Buy Or Start a Small Business, the Best Investment, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 67:

1 more example

So you can’t make payroll. This happens.[…]many business owners who have never confronted it before will be forced to deal with this most difficult matter of not making payroll.2011, Donald Todrin, Successfully Navigating the Downturn, Entrepreneur Press, →ISBN, page 194:

Obsolete To compose verses; to write poetry; to versify.

ca.1360-1387, William Langland, Piers Plowman to solace him some time, as I do when I make

To enact; to establish.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.1791, The First Amendment to the United States Constitution

To develop into; to prove to be.

She'll make a fine president.
Classical literature usually makes heavy reading.

Appalachia To study or train so as to become (a profession); to grow up to be (something).

He'll make a doctor one day.

To form or formulate in the mind.

make plans
made a questionable decision

To perform a feat.

make a leap
make a pass

2 more examples

make a u-turn
Say, you know? I knew I should have made a left toin at Albuquerque.1945 January 13, Herr Meets Hare, spoken by Bugs Bunny:

To gain sufficient audience to warrant its existence.

In the end, my class didn't make, which left me with a bit of free time.

Obsolete To act in a certain manner; to have to do; to manage; to interfere; to be active; often in the phrase to meddle or make.

a scurvy, jack-a-nape priest to meddle or makec. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:

Obsolete To increase; to augment; to accrue.

Obsolete To be engaged or concerned in.

Gomez, what makest thou here, with a whole brotherhood of city bailiffs?1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

Archaic To cause to be (in a specified place), used after a subjective what.

Footman. Madam! Mr. Dorimant! Lov. What makes him here?1676, George Etherege, The Man of Mode:
What makes her in the wood so late, A furlong from the castle gate?1816, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Christabel:

Euphemistic To take the virginity of.

I was a young un at 'Oogli, Shy as a girl to begin; Aggie de Castrer she made me, — An' Aggie was clever as sin; Older than me, but my first un — More like a mother she were Showed me the way to promotion an' pay, An' I learned about women from 'er!1896, Rudyard Kipling, The Ladies:

To have sexual intercourse with.

He could see that her face was thin, proud. She looked like she'd be a hard dame to make. He didn't want just that. She'd be a hard dame to win.1934, James T. Farrell, chapter 16, in The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan:
The boys in the lower classes who had already dropped out of school derived much of their prestige among their peers from their skill in “making” girls.1959, Vance Packard, The Status Seekers, Pocket Books, published 1971, →ISBN, page 138:

3 more examples

And I'm trying to make some girl / Who tells me, "Baby, better come back, maybe next week" / "'Cause you see, I'm on a losing streak"1965 June 4, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction”, performed by the Rolling Stones:
The only thing she wants to make is you!1979, Mark Tuttle, “The Loan Shark”, in Three's Company, season 4, episode 10 (television production):
Monday night, I'm makin' Jen Tuesday night, I'm makin' Lyn Wednesday night, I'm makin' Catherine Oh, why can't I be makin' love come true?1996, Rivers Cuomo, “Tired of Sex”, in Pinkerton, performed by Weezer:

Of water, to flow toward land; to rise.

The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down the river, the only thing for us was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide.1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 193:

Backgammon, Games To establish two or more men on (a point) so that it cannot be captured.

Derived terms: 446 terms
bad facts make bad law, beauty won't make the pot boil, cannot make it, clothes don't make the man, clothes make the man, demake, doctors make the worst patients, don't get your honey where you make your money, don't make me laugh, empty barrels make the most noise, empty cans make the most noise, empty vessels make the most noise, empty vessels make the most sound, enough to make a cat laugh, enough to make the angels weep, fine feathers make fine birds, foremake, good fences make good neighbors, good fences make good neighbours, handmake, hard cases make bad law, how the sausage is made, if I may make so bold, it takes a heap of living to make a house a home, it takes a heap o' livin' to make a house a home, it takes all kinds to make a world, it takes all sorts to make a world, it takes a lot of living to make a house a home, it takes two to make a quarrel, know how many beans make five, lawmaking, life is what you make it, Mackem, mackerel sky and mare's-tails make lofty ships carry low sails, mackerel sky and mare's-tails make tall ships carry low sails, mackly, makable, make a better door than a window, make a big thing out of, makeability, makeable, make a book, make a break for it, make a career of, make a career out of, make a case, make a case for, make a cat laugh, make a clean breast, make a dash for it, make a day of it, make a deal, make a decision, make a dent, make a difference, make a dollar out of fifteen cents, make a face, make a federal case out of something, make a fist of, make a fool of, make a fool out of, make a fortune, make after, make a fuss, make against, make a good fist of, make a go of, make a gra, make a habit of, make a hash of, make-ahead, make a hole, make a joke of, make a killing, make a leg, make a light, make a lip, make a living, make all the difference, make all the running, make a long arm, make a mark, make a meal of, make a meal out of, make amends, make a mistake, make a mockery of, make a monkey of, make a monkey out of, make a mountain out of a molehill, make a move, make a muscle, make a name for oneself, make an appearance, make an ass of, make-and-break, make an effort, make an entrance, make an errand, make an example of, make an exception, make an exhibition of oneself, make an honest woman, make an honest woman out of, make a night of it, make an impression, make an offer, make a noise in the world, make a nuisance of oneself, make a pass, make a pig of oneself, make a pig out of oneself, make a pig's ear of, make a pile, make a play, make a point, make a production out of, make a promise, make a public spectacle of oneself, make a rabbit bite a bulldog, make a run for it, make a scene, make a show of oneself, make a silk purse of a sow's ear, make a spectacle of oneself, make a splash, make a stand, make a statement, make a stick for one's own back, make a stink, make a time, make a Virginia fence, make a virtue of necessity, make away, makeaway, make away with, make a wish, make a wrong turn at Albuquerque, make baby Jesus cry, make bank, makebate, make beautiful music together, make-before-break, make belief, make-believe, make believe, make biscuits, make bold, make bones about, make book, make both ends meet, make bricks without clay, make bricks without straw, make bricks without straws, make capital out of, make certain, make common cause, make conscience, make contact with, make conversation, make-debate, make default, make do, makedom, make down, make due, make ends meet, make every effort, make eyes, make faces, make fair weather, make fast, makefast, make fetch happen, make file, make fish of one and flesh of another, make fish of one and fowl of another, make flexible, make for, make foul water, make-fray, make free of, make free with, make friendly, make friends, make fun of, makegame, make game of, make garden, make good, makegood, make good on, make good one's running, make good time, make ground, make happen, make hard work of, make haste, make hay, make hay while the sun shines, make head against, make head nor tail of, make head or tail of, make headway, make heavy going of, make heavy weather, make heavy weather of, make history, make interesting, make into, make it, make it big, make it count, make it do or do without, make it interesting, make it make sense, make it one's business, make it one's life, make it rain, make it snappy, make it so, make it so that, make-king, make known, make land, make landfall, make lemonade, makeless, make light of, make light work of, make like, make like a baby and head out, make like a banana and split, make like a tree, make like a tree and leave, makeline, make little of, make love, make love to the camera, make matters worse, make me, make mention, make mention of, make merry, make mileage out of, make mincemeat of, make mincemeat out of, make moan, make mockery of, make money, make mouths, make much, make muffins, make music, make neither head nor tail of, make news, make nice, make no bones about, make noise, make noises, make no mistake, make no odds, make no secret of, make nothing of, make of, make off, make off with, make old bones, make one, make one's bed, make one's bed and lie in it, make one's bones, make one's bow, make oneself at home, make oneself clear, make oneself scarce, make one's entrance, make one's exit, make one's hand, make one's manners, make one's mark, make one's number, make one's own, make one's own luck, make one's presence felt, make one's toenails curl, make one's toes curl, make one's toilet, make one's way, make or break, make-or-break, make out, make out like a bandit, make out of, make out with, make over, make peace, makepeace, make pigs and whistles of, make pigs and whistles of something, make position, make pretend, make quick work of, make-ready, make right, make room, make sail, make semblant, make sense, make shift, makeshift, make ship, make shit of, make shit shake, make short work of, make some noise, make someone hard to catch, make someone's acquaintance, make someone's blood boil, make someone's day, make someone's ears sad, make someone's flesh crawl, make someone's flesh creep, make someone's hair curl, make someone's hair stand on end, make someone's head spin, make someone's jaw drop, make someone's skin crawl, make someone's skin creep, make someone's teeth itch, make someone's toenails curl, make someone's toes curl, make something of, make something of oneself, makespan, make-sport, make sport of, make strange, make streaks, make strides, makestrife, make sure, make terms, make the angels blush, make the bald man cry, make the bed, make the best of, make the best of a bad bargain, make the best of a bad job, make the best of one's way, make the case for, make the cheese more binding, make the cut, make the deasil, make the difference, make the dust fly, make the feathers fly, make the first move, make the fur fly, make the grade, make the headlines, make the most of, make the news, make the passes, make the perfect the enemy of the good, make the riffle, make the road shorter, make the rounds, make the running, make the weather, make the welkin ring, make the world go around, make the world go round, make the wrong turn at Albuquerque, make things interesting, make this world go around, make this world go round, make tick, make time, make time with, make to order, make to stock, make tracks, make tracks for, make trial of, make up, make up to, make use, make vintage, make water, make waves, make way, makeweight, make whole, make whoopee, make with, make-work, make wudu, make yourself at home, make yourselves at home, many a mickle makes a muckle, many hands make light work, matchless, matchmake, meddle and make, meddle nor make, meddle or make, mismake, newmake, new-make, not make any bones about, one swallow does not a spring make, one swallow does not make a spring, one swallow does not make a summer, one swallow doesn't a spring make, one swallow doesn't a summer make, one swallow doesn't make a spring, one swallow doesn't make a summer, overmake, premake, put two and two together and make five, remake, short accounts make long friends, short reckonings make long friends, stuff dreams are made of, tailor make, tailor-make, the cowl does not make the monk, they don't make them like that anymore, they don't make them like they used to, time to make the donuts, troublemaker, two wrongs don't make a right, two wrongs make a right, unmake, unmakeable, upmake, ve haf vays of making you talk, wanton kittens make sober cats, we all make mistakes, what do you make the time, what time do you make it, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear, you make the bed you lie in, you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette

make

noun

Etymology

13 senses

1Brand; marque; manufacturer; maker.
2Manner or style of construction (style of how a thing is made).
3Origin (of a manufactured article); manufacture; production.
4A person's character or disposition.
5The act or process of making something, especially in…
6Quantity produced, especially of materials.
7A software utility for automatically building large…
8Identification: recognition (of identity), especially…
9A promotion.
10A homemade project, particularly one demonstrated on television.
11Turn to declare the trump for a hand (in bridge), or to…
12A made basket.
13The closing of an electrical circuit.

Brand; marque; manufacturer; maker.

Near-synonyms: kind, type
we service all makes and models

1 more example

Q: What make and model of car do you drive? A: It's a Buick LaCrosse.

Manner or style of construction (style of how a thing is made).

Near-synonyms: makeup, form, conformation, composition; form factor
I can name the tribe every moccasin belongs to by the make of it.1907, Mark Twain, A Horse's Tale:

Origin (of a manufactured article); manufacture; production.

The cane was undoubtedly of foreign make, for it had a solid silver ferrule at one end, which was not English hall–marked.1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Ayrsham Mystery”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
The Royal Typewriter Company is distributing a very attractive eight page folder, announcing the Royal Number 10, the first machine of Royal make which uses levers instead of wires to operate the type-bars.1914, Judicious Advertising, page 158:

2 more examples

The camera was of German make.
The camera was of recent make.

A person's character or disposition.

I never feel very much excited about any old thing; it's not my make; but I've got a sort of shiver inside of me, and a watery feeling in the heart region.1914, Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton, Perch of the Devil, page 274:

Dated The act or process of making something, especially in industrial manufacturing.

[…] papers are respectively of second or inferior quality, the last being perhaps torn or broken in the "make" — as the manufacture is technically termed.1908, Charles Thomas Jacobi, Printing: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Typography as Applied More Particularly to the Printing of Books, page 331:

Quantity produced, especially of materials.

In 1880 the make of pig iron in all countries was 18,300,000 tons.1902 September 16, “German Iron and Steel Production”, in The New York Times, page 8:

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A software utility for automatically building large applications, or an implementation of this utility.

However, the unzip and make programs weren't found, so the default was left blank.2003, D. Curtis Jamison, Perl Programming for Biologists, →ISBN, page 115:

Slang Identification: recognition (of identity), especially from police records or evidence.

"They ever get a make on the blood type?" Horn asked, staring at the stained mattress.2003, John Lutz, The Night Spider, →ISBN, page 53:
"I'm sure we'll get a make on the suspect's prints by day break, so if you come down town, I'll see you get everything available. Go ahead and process the car, we won't have any need of it."2003, Harlan Wygant, The Samurai Conspiracy: A Story of Revenge by the Author of "The Junkyard Dog.", →ISBN, page 36:

2 more examples

He got out his binoculars, trying for a make on the plate, but the plate light was conveniently not working. The windows must have been tinted, because he could not see inside the van, either.2007, P. T. Deutermann, Hunting Season: A Novel, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN:
“Okay, if I could understand correctly what Oscar was saying through all the doubletalk, we've got a make on the bigwig occupant of the convoy ahead. Chaim Lieberman, Israeli Ambassador to the United States.” “Shit,” said Gardner.2008, H.A. Covington, The Brigade, →ISBN, page 660:

Government, Military, Politics, War Slang A promotion.

Sent back the list of makes with only Post and Hamilton on it. (Buckner had recommended 10 staff officers and 1 combat soldier!)2004, Joseph Stilwell, Seven Stars: The Okinawa Battle Diaries of Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. and Joseph Stilwell, →ISBN, page 94:

A homemade project, particularly one demonstrated on television.

Blue Peter "make"1978, Biddy Baxter, Hazel Gill, Margaret Parnell, Rachel Barnes, Kate Pountney, The 'Blue Peter' Make, Cook & Look Book, page i:

Card games, Games Turn to declare the trump for a hand (in bridge), or to shuffle the cards.

It's your make as the cards lie. Take your time.1925, Robert William Chambers, The Talkers, page 195:
'Not your make,' said the adjutant sternly and started dealing the cards with his white be-ringed hands as though he was in haste to get rid of them.1962 (edition), Leo Tolstoy, Hadji Murat: A Tale of the Caucasus

Ball games, Basketball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A made basket.

Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics The closing of an electrical circuit.

If the interrupter operated every 2 sec., the current would rise to 10 amp. and drop to zero with successive "makes" and "breaks."1947, Charles Seymour Siskind, Electricity, page 94:

Related terms: match

make

noun

Etymology From Middle English make, imake, ȝemace, from Old English ġemaca (“a mate, an equal, companion, peer”), from Proto-West Germanic *gamakō, from Proto-Germanic *gamakô (“companion, comrade”), from Proto-Indo-European *maǵ- (“to knead, oil”). Reinforced by Old Norse maki (“an equal”). Cognate with Icelandic maki (“spouse”), Swedish make (“spouse, husband”), Danish mage (“companion, fellow, mate”). Doublet of match.

Slang Past, present, or future target of seduction (usually female).

Usually in phrase "easy make"

To me, if I weren't going with someone and was taking pills, it would be like advertising that I'm an easy make.2007, Prudence Mors Rains, Becoming an Unwed Mother, →ISBN, page 26:
She's your make, not mine. […] It isn't anything short of difficult to entertain someone else's pregnant fiancee.1962, Ralph Moreno, A Man's Estate, page 12:

UK, Dialectal Mate; a spouse or companion; a match.

Th'Elfe therewith astownd, Vpstarted lightly from his looser make, And his vnready weapons gan in hand to take.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Where their maids and their makes At dancing and wakes, Had their napkins and posies And the wipers for their noses1624, Ben Jonson, The Masque of Owls at Kenilworth:

2 more examples

But then sometimes I thought, it's a black Crake That never to her-sell can get a Make.1684, Meriton, Praise Ale:
Every cake hath its make; but a scrape cake hath two.1678 (later reprinted: 1855), John Ray, A Hand-book of Proverbs

Derived terms: make-hawk, on the make, put the make on

make

noun

Etymology Uncertain.

Ireland, Northern England, Scotland, Archaic A halfpenny.

the last we shall have, I take it; for a make to a million, but we trine to the nubbing cheat to-morrow.1826, Sir Walter Scott, Woodstock; Or, the Cavalier:
Only as he climbed the steps did he mind that he hadn't even a meck upon him, and turned to jump off as the tram with a showd swung grinding down to the Harbour […]1934, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Grey Granite, Polygon 2006 (A Scots Quair), page 606

make

noun

Etymology Origin unclear.

East Anglia, Essex, Obsolete An agricultural tool resembling a scythe, used to cut (harvest) certain plants such as peas, reeds, or tares.

Harvest.—When left for seed, they are cut and wadded as pease, with a make. Produce.—From three to six sacks an acre.1797, Arthur Young, General View of the Agriculture of the County of Suffolk: Drawn Up for the Consideration of the Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement, page 73:
Harvest. Taken up by a pease-make, and left in small heaps, and turned as often as the weather may make it necessary.1811, William Gooch, General view of the agriculture of the county of Cambridge; drawn up for the consideration of the Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement, page 142, section VI "Pease"

Related terms: make-koshi

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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