make

Etymology 1

table From Middle English maken, from Old English macian (“to make, build, work”), from Proto-West Germanic *makōn (“to make, build, work”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂ǵ- (“to knead, mix, make”). Cognate with Scots mak (“to make”), Saterland Frisian moakje (“to make”), West Frisian meitsje (“to make”), Dutch maken (“to make”), Dutch Low Saxon maken (“to make”), German Low German maken (“to make”), German machen (“to make, do”), Danish mage (“to make, arrange (in a certain way)”), Latin mācerō, macer, Ancient Greek μάσσω (mássō). Related to match.

verb

(transitive) To create.
1. To build, construct, produce, or originate.
  We made a bird feeder for our yard.
  
  I'll make a man out of him yet.
  
  He makes deodorants.
  
  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. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
  
  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. 2013-06-22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 68
2. To write or compose.
  I made a poem for her wedding.
  
  He made a will.
3. 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.
4. (religious) To create (the universe), especially (in Christianity) from nothing.
  God made earth and heaven.
5. (transitive) To prepare (food); to cook (food).
  I'm making cereal for breakfast. Who wants some?
(intransitive, now mostly colloquial) To behave, to act.
To make like a deer caught in the headlights.

They made nice together, as if their fight never happened.

He made as if to punch him, but they both laughed and shook hands.
(intransitive) 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 language 1873, Matthew Arnold, Literature and Dogma
To constitute.
They make a cute couple.

This makes the third infraction.

One swallow does not a summer make.

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. 23 September 2014, A teacher, “Choosing a primary school: a teacher's guide for parents”, in The Guardian
(transitive) To add up to, have a sum of.
Two and four make six.
(transitive, construed with of, typically interrogative) To interpret.
I don’t know what to make of it.

They couldn't make anything of the inscription.

What time do you make it?
(transitive, usually stressed) To bring into success.
This company is what made you.

She married into wealth and so has it made.

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, page 124
(ditransitive, second object is an adjective or participle) To cause to be.
The citizens made their objections clear.

This might make you a bit woozy.

Did I make myself heard?

Scotch will make you a man.

Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete. 2013-07-20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845
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.
(ditransitive, second object is a verb) To cause (to do something); to compel (to do something).
You're making her cry.

I was made to feel like a criminal.
(ditransitive, second object is a verb, can be stressed for emphasis or clarity) To force to do.
The teacher made the student study.

Don’t let them make you suffer.
(ditransitive, of a fact) To indicate or suggest to be.
His past mistakes don’t make him a bad person.
(transitive, of a bed) To cover neatly with bedclothes.
(transitive, US slang, crime, law enforcement) 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

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
(transitive, colloquial) To arrive at a destination, usually at or by a certain time.
We should make Cincinnati by 7 tonight.
(intransitive, colloquial) To proceed (in a direction).
They made westward over the snowy mountains.

Make for the hills! It's a wildfire!

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
(transitive) To cover (a given distance) by travelling.
(transitive) 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
(transitive, 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
(intransitive, 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
(transitive) 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.

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. September 2, 2011, “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!” May 20, 2012, 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
(transitive) 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, page 67

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, page 194
(obsolete, intransitive) 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.
To form or formulate in the mind.
make plans

made a questionable decision
To perform a feat.
make a leap

make a pass

make a u-turn
(intransitive) 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.
(obsolete) To increase; to augment; to accrue.
(obsolete) To be engaged or concerned in.
(now 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, A Man of Mode

What makes her in the wood so late, / A furlong from the castle gate? 1816, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Christabel
(transitive, 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
(transitive) 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 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 (lyrics and music), “Tired of Sex”, in Pinkerton, performed by Weezer
(intransitive) Of water, to flow toward land; to rise.

noun

Brand or kind; model.
What make of car do you drive?
Manner or style of construction (style of how a thing is made); form.
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. 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, in The Ayrsham Mystery

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

The camera was of German 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
(uncountable) 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) 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, page 115
(slang) Identification or 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, 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.", page 36

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

“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, page 660
(slang, military) 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, page 94
A home-made project.
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) 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
(basketball) A made basket.
(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

Etymology 2

table 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.

noun

(slang, usually in phrase "easy make") Past, present, or future target of seduction (usually female).
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, 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.
Where their maids and their makes / At dancing and wakes, / Had their napkins and posies / And the wipers for their noses 1624, Ben Jonson, The Masque of Owls at Kenilworth

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

Etymology 3

Uncertain.

noun

(Scotland, Ireland, Northern England, now rare) 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

Etymology 4

Origin unclear.

noun

(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"

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