Make has 57 different meanings across 2 categories:
Noun
· Verb
Noun
1
a recognizable kind
"there's a new brand of hero in the movies now"
"what make of car is that?"
2
the act of mixing cards haphazardly
"After shuffling for too long, he had to stop and make his deck again because the cards were so thoroughly mixed that no pattern remained."
3
Brand or kind; model.
"The farmer brought out his make to harvest the tall reeds before they went to seed."
4
Mate; a spouse or companion; a match.
6
An agricultural tool resembling a scythe, used to cut (harvest) certain plants such as peas, reeds, or tares.
In plain English: In this context, make is not a noun but a verb meaning to create, build, or cause something to happen.
"The team failed to make the final because of their poor defense."
Usage: Use "make" as a noun only when referring specifically to an agricultural tool similar to a scythe for harvesting crops like peas or reeds. In almost all other everyday situations, you should use the verb form of the word instead.
Verb
1
engage in
"make love, not war"
"make an effort"
"do research"
"do nothing"
"make revolution"
2
give certain properties to something
"get someone mad"
"She made us look silly"
"He made a fool of himself at the meeting"
"Don't make this into a big deal"
"This invention will make you a millionaire"
"Make yourself clear"
3
make or cause to be or to become
"make a mess in one's office"
"create a furor"
4
cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner
"The ads induced me to buy a VCR"
"My children finally got me to buy a computer"
"My wife made me buy a new sofa"
5
give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
"cause a commotion"
"make a stir"
"cause an accident"
6
create or manufacture a man-made product
"We produce more cars than we can sell"
"The company has been making toys for two centuries"
7
make, formulate, or derive in the mind
"I draw a line here"
"draw a conclusion"
"draw parallels"
"make an estimate"
"What do you make of his remarks?"
8
compel or make somebody or something to act in a certain way
"People cannot be made to integrate just by passing a law!"
"Heat makes you sweat"
9
create by artistic means
"create a poem"
"Schoenberg created twelve-tone music"
"Picasso created Cubism"
"Auden made verses"
10
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
"How much do you make a month in your new job?"
"She earns a lot in her new job"
"this merger brought in lots of money"
"He clears $5,000 each month"
11
create or design, often in a certain way
"Do my room in blue"
"I did this piece in wood to express my love for the forest"
12
to compose or represent
"This wall forms the background of the stage setting"
"The branches made a roof"
"This makes a fine introduction"
13
reach a goal
"make the first team"
"We made it!"
"She may not make the grade"
14
be or be capable of being changed or made into
"He makes a great host"
"He will make a fine father"
15
make by shaping or bringing together constituents
"make a dress"
"make a cake"
"make a wall of stones"
16
perform or carry out
"make a decision"
"make a move"
"make advances"
"make a phone call"
17
make by combining materials and parts
"this little pig made his house out of straw"
"Some eccentric constructed an electric brassiere warmer"
18
change from one form into another
"make water into wine"
"make lead into gold"
"make clay into bricks"
19
act in a certain way so as to acquire
"make friends"
"make enemies"
20
charge with a function; charge to be
"She was named Head of the Committee"
"She was made president of the club"
21
achieve a point or goal
"Nicklaus had a 70"
"The Brazilian team got 4 goals"
"She made 29 points that day"
22
reach a destination, either real or abstract
"We hit Detroit by noon"
"The water reached the doorstep"
"We barely made it to the finish line"
"I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts"
23
institute, enact, or establish
"make laws"
24
carry out or commit
"make a mistake"
"commit a faux-pas"
25
form by assembling individuals or constituents
"Make a quorum"
26
organize or be responsible for
"hold a reception"
"have, throw, or make a party"
"give a course"
27
put in order or neaten
"make the bed"
"make up a room"
28
head into a specified direction
"The escaped convict took to the hills"
"We made for the mountains"
29
have a bowel movement
"The dog had made in the flower beds"
30
undergo fabrication or creation
"This wool makes into a nice sweater"
31
be suitable for
"Wood makes good furniture"
32
add up to
"four and four make eight"
33
amount to
"This salary increase makes no difference to my standard of living"
34
constitute the essence of
"Clothes make the man"
35
appear to begin an activity
"He made to speak but said nothing in the end"
"She made as if to say hello to us"
36
proceed along a path
"work one's way through the crowd"
"make one's way into the forest"
37
reach in time
"We barely made the plane"
38
gather and light the materials for
"make a fire"
39
prepare for eating by applying heat
"Cook me dinner, please"
"can you make me an omelette?"
"fix breakfast for the guests, please"
40
induce to have sex
"Harry finally seduced Sally"
"Did you score last night?"
"Harry made Sally"
41
assure the success of
"A good review by this critic will make your play!"
42
represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like
"She makes like an actress"
43
consider as being
"It wasn't the problem some people made it"
44
calculate as being
"I make the height about 100 feet"
45
cause to be enjoyable or pleasurable
"make my day"
46
favor the development of
"Practice makes the winner"
47
develop into
"He will make a splendid father!"
48
behave in a certain way
"make merry"
49
eliminate urine
"Again, the cat had made on the expensive rug"
50
To create.
"She decided to make a beautiful quilt from all her old scraps of fabric."
51
To build, construct, produce, or originate.
"The local carpenters will make a new deck for our backyard over the summer."
In plain English: To make something means to create, build, or cause it to happen.
"I need to make dinner for my family tonight."
Usage: Use "make" to describe the act of creating something new or causing a specific result to happen, such as making a cake or making a decision. Avoid using it when referring to possessing an item or performing a general action that does not involve construction or causation.
Example Sentences
"The team failed to make the final because of their poor defense."
noun
"I need to make dinner for my family tonight."
verb
"Please make sure to bring your umbrella today."
verb
"She wants to make a delicious cake for her birthday."
verb
"The noise made me jump out of my chair."
verb
Related Terms
Show all 360 terms ↓
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
Origin
The word "make" comes from Old English macian, which originally meant to build or work. It traveled into modern English through Middle English with the same core sense of creating or constructing something.