Main Entry: make
Pronunciation: 'mAk
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): made /'mAd/; mak·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English macian; akin to Old High German mahhOn to prepare, make, Greek magEnai to be kneaded, Old Church Slavonic mazati to anoint, smear
transitive senses
1 a obsolete : BEHAVE, ACT b : to seem to begin (an action) <made to go>
2 a : to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone <made trouble for us> b : to cause to exist, occur, or appear : CREATE <make a disturbance> c : to favor the growth or occurrence of <haste makes waste> d : to fit, intend, or destine by or as if by creating <was made to be an actor>
3 a : to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material : FASHION <make a dress> b : COMPOSE, WRITE <make verses> c : to lay out and construct <make a road>
4 : to frame or formulate in the mind <make plans>
5 : to put together from components : CONSTITUTE <houses made of stone>
6 a : to compute or estimate to be b : to form and hold in the mind <make no doubt of it>
7 a : to assemble and set alight the materials for (a fire) b : to set in order <make beds> c : PREPARE, FIX <make dinner> d : to shuffle (a deck of cards) in preparation for dealing
8 : to prepare (hay) by cutting, drying, and storing
9 a : to cause to be or become <made them happy> b : APPOINT <made him bishop>
10 a : ENACT, ESTABLISH <make laws> b : to execute in an appropriate manner <make a will> c : SET, NAME <make a price>
11 a chiefly dialect : SHUT <the doors are made against you -- Shakespeare> b : to cause (an electric circuit) to be completed
12 a : to conclude as to the nature or meaning of something <what do you make of this development?> b : to regard as being <not the fool some make him>
13 a : to carry out (an action indicated or implied by the object) <make war> <make a speech> b : to perform with a bodily movement <make a sweeping gesture> c : to achieve by traversing <make a detour> <making the rounds>
14 a : to produce as a result of action, effort, or behavior with respect to something <make a mess of the job> <tried to make a thorough job of it> b archaic : to turn into another language by translation
15 : to cause to act in a certain way : COMPEL <make her give it back>
16 : to cause or assure the success or prosperity of <can either make you or break you>
17 a : to amount to in significance <makes a great difference> b : to form the essential being of <clothes make the man> c : to form by an assembling of individuals <make a quorum> d : to count as <that makes the third time you've said it>
18 a : to be or be capable of being changed or fashioned into <rags make the best paper> b : to develop into <she will make a fine judge> c : FORM 6b
19 a : REACH, ATTAIN -- often used with it <you'll never make it that far>; also : SURVIVE <half the cubs won't make it through their first year> b : to gain the rank of <make major> c : to gain a place on or in <make the team> <the story made the papers>
20 : to gain (as money) by working, trading, or dealing <make a living>
21 a : to act so as to win or acquire <makes friends easily> b : to score (points) in a game or sport c : to convert (a split) into a spare in bowling
22 a : to fulfill (a contract) in a card game b : to win a trick with (a card)
23 a : to include in a route or itinerary <make New York on the return trip> <make it to the party> b : CATCH 6b <made the bus just in time>
24 : to persuade to consent to sexual intercourse : SEDUCE
25 : to provide the most enjoyable or satisfying experience of <meeting the star of the show really made our day>