make
gb/mˈeɪk/ us/mˈeɪk/
A1
English
~ 100
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A1
action
1
create or produce something
To create or produce something.
Usage pattern:
to make [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse 'make' with 'do'. Use 'make' when you create something new, not for general actions or tasks.
Synonyms
create (More formal and often used for artistic or original work.)
Antonyms
destroy (Means to ruin or end the existence of something, the opposite of creating it.)
Collocations
make a cake
|make a plan
|make a movie
|make furniture
|make a list
Themes
daily life
|work
|creativity
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She made a cake for his birthday.
- They made a new smartphone model.
- The carpenter made a beautiful wooden table.
- He made a painting of the sunset.
- We made a short film for school.
Learner examples
- I made a sandwich for lunch.
- She made a picture of a tree.
- We made a toy from paper.
- They made a big house.
- He made a small boat.
Verb
A2
action
2
cause someone to act
To cause someone to do something.
Usage pattern:
to make [someone] [do something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget to use the base form of the verb after 'make' in this sense (e.g., 'made me to cry' is incorrect).
Synonyms
force (Stronger and implies lack of choice.)
|
compel (More formal and often legal or moral obligation.)
Antonyms
prevent (Means to stop someone from doing something.)
Collocations
make someone smile
|make her cry
|make them leave
|make him work
Themes
daily life
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The teacher made us rewrite the essay.
- His joke made everyone laugh.
- They made me wait for an hour.
- The movie made her cry.
- Her parents made her clean her room.
Learner examples
- My mom made me wash the dishes.
- He made me run fast.
- The story made me happy.
- She made me eat vegetables.
- They made us go home.
Verb
A2
action
3
earn money or income
To get money from working or business.
Usage pattern:
to make [amount of money]
Synonyms
earn (Direct synonym but more formal and precise.)
Antonyms
lose money (Opposite in financial context; means to have less money than before.)
Collocations
make money
|make a living
|make a profit
Themes
business
|daily life
|finance
Examples
- He makes $50,000 a year.
- She makes extra money by tutoring.
- They made a fortune in real estate.
- He makes his living as a writer.
- We make good money during the holiday season.
Learner examples
- I make $10 an hour.
- She makes money from her shop.
- They make a lot of money.
- He makes his living as a driver.
Verb
A1
action
4
prepare food or drink
To prepare food or drink to eat or drink.
Usage pattern:
to make [food/drink]
Synonyms
prepare (More general and can apply beyond food.)
Collocations
make coffee
|make dinner
|make breakfast
Themes
daily life
|food
|food_drink
|daily_life
Examples
- I made pasta for lunch.
- She makes coffee every morning.
- They made sandwiches for the trip.
- He made soup for everyone.
- We made lemonade for the party.
Learner examples
- I made tea for my friend.
- She made bread yesterday.
- We make rice every day.
- He made juice for breakfast.
Verb
B1
action
5
arrive at a place in time
To arrive at a place before it is too late.
Usage pattern:
to make [event/place/time]
Synonyms
reach (Focuses more on arriving than on timeliness.)
Antonyms
miss (Failing to arrive in time for something.)
Collocations
make it to class
|make the meeting
|make the train
Themes
travel
|daily life
|time
Examples
- I just made it to the station before the train left.
- She made it to the meeting despite the traffic.
- They barely made it in time for the show.
- We won't make it if we don't hurry.
- He made it home before dark.
Learner examples
- I made it to school on time.
- We made it to the bus stop.
- She made it to the party early.
- They made it home before rain.
Grammar
Dictionary form
make
IPA
GB/mˈeɪk/
US/mˈeɪk/
Syllables & stress
make (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (make)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: make
- 3rd Person Singular: makes
- Present Participle: making
- Past: made
- Past Participle: made
Word family
Forms
makes
verb
making
verb
made
verb
Related words
Advanced or less common
man-made
adjective B2
self-made
adjective B2
Highlights
- Irregular past: made Verb
- Irregular past participle: made Verb
Expressions
make do (with)
1/mˈeɪk dˈu wˈɪθ/
phrasal verb
manage with limited resources
To use what you have even if it is not perfect or enough.
Examples
- We didn't have much food, so we had to make do with bread and cheese.
- They'll have to make do until help arrives.
make up
1/mˈeɪk ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
invent false story or excuse
To say or write something that is not true, usually to explain or excuse something.
Examples
- He made up an excuse for being late.
- She likes to make up stories for fun.
make up one's mind
1/mˈeɪk ˈʌp wˈʌnz mˈaɪnd/
idiom
decide after considering options
To choose what to do after thinking about different choices.
Examples
- I can't make up my mind about which dress to buy.
- She finally made up her mind to move abroad.
make sure
1/mˈeɪk ʃˈʊɹ/
fixed phrase
ensure something is correct/done
To check that something is correct or has been done.
Examples
- Make sure you lock the door before leaving.
- Make sure you lock the door before you leave.
- I want to make sure we have enough food.
- She made sure her phone was charged before the trip.
make ends meet
1/mˈeɪk ˈɛndz mˈit/
idiom
earn just enough for basic needs
To have just enough money for your basic needs like food and rent.
Examples
- It's hard to make ends meet on such a low salary.
- It’s hard to make ends meet on such a low salary.
- They struggle to make ends meet every month.
- They’re struggling to make ends meet after losing their jobs.
make ends meet
2/mˈeɪk ˈɛndz mˈit/
idiom
to have enough money for basic needs
To earn enough money for your basic needs like food and housing.
Examples
- It's hard to make ends meet on such a small salary.
- They struggle to make ends meet each month.