Appendix:Dictionary notes/make

Treatments of the word make in various dictionaries. Phrasal verbs and idioms are generally excluded. Highly problematic definitions are marked with an asterisk.

Noun edit

gloss W1913 [1] WN [2] OED [3] RHU [4] CC [5] DCE [6] MW3 [7] AH4 [8] MQ4 [9]
companion; spouse 1I 1a (spouse/lover), 1b (partner), 2 (animal) 2 (UK), 3 (UK) 2II (now UK dialectal)
construction; form; manner of making 1II 1bII 38 1a 2 36
brand; kind 1 1aII 37 1 1b? 4 37
shuffling; turn to shuffle 2 42 (cards) 6 41b (cards)
equal; peer 3a 1 (UK) 1II (now UK dialectal)
character; disposition 2II 39 2 5 38
act of making 5aII (rare) 40 3a 1 39
quantity produced; output 6II (obsolete) 41 3b 3 40
species, kind 3II (UK dialectal), 1cII (obsolete)
manner of action 4II
manufacture (French ~) 5bII
successful theft 7II (slang)
sexual conquest or target 9II (slang)
identification, esp. from police records 10II (slang) 6(slang)
closing of electric circuit 11II(obsolete) 5 42 (electricity)
bridge: declaration 12aII 4 41a (cards)
bridge: successful contract 12bII (cards)
utility that performs specified operations, or use thereof 13II (computing)
halfpenny 1III 1III
military promotion 7

Verb edit

gloss W1913 [1] WN [2] OED [3] RHU [4] CC [5] DCE [6] MW3 [7] AH4 [8] MQ4 [9]
achieve (a goal, etc.) 21 52c (mostly US), 52e (figurative) 35 9 (included in 22a) 10
act as if about to (~ to) 35 35b, 64b 15 1b, 2bII 23, 2II
act in a given fashion (~ merry) 1II 48 40 7 (intr) 2aII (~ as if). 2cII 1II 33
act so as to acquire 19 24a 14b
add up to 32 20 10 15 20c 19b 18
allege to be the case 42a (obsolete), 42b
amount to; bring about (~ a difference) 33 20 2a? (obsolete), 20a 19c
appoint 20 16a 4 5 18 10b 4b 4
arrange the time and place for 15b (obsolete) 11c
arrive at 8 13, 22 52b 27 22 (dated) 22a 12a 25
arrive at in time; catch 37 52e 28, 29 (in time to ride) 23 26c 12b 26
assemble (a group) 17a, 17c ( a party) 3
assemble so as to form; put together (~ X from Y) 25 36a 6 6
assure success for 1h 41 69a 24 9 26 (make perfect) 19 15a 22
attain a given rank 52h (colloquial, originally naval) 29 (informal, mostly US) 22b 13a
attain a score 27b 17 (sports) 24c (score points) 14c (score points) 30 (sports)
backgammon: take possession of a point 13b
be able to attend 8 (spoken)
be manufactured or processed 8II 6II
be mentioned on (~ the news) 52j 31 28 (informal) 23
be one's business 47a (only in questions) (included in 5II?)
be reckoned as (that ~ the fifth time) 20d
be significant in relation to something 23a 13
be sold for; fetch 26c
be suitable for 31 2b? 23 20
bowling: convert a split to a spare, or score a spare by means of a split 13d
bridge: fulfil a contract/bid (included in 27a) 34c 24c 25a 29c
bring 14a (obsolete)
bring about; perform 1c 16 9b (bring about), IV (do) 2 16a 9b
bring forth; yield as a product (~ good wine) 18a
calculate; reckon 44 35c 18 16 7a 18b 17
carry out mentally 16 7b?
carry out; commit 24 43a (obsolete),k 45 14
cause oneself to be as specified (~ sure) 39 32
cause someone to experience 9 (obsolete) (included in 2b)
cause to appear (~ a mark) 10a 6
cause to be done 39c (obsolete) 2b
cause to be enjoyable (~ one's day) 45 22
cause to be somewhere 47b (only in questions)
cause to become (~ a friend) 16b, 33a
charge with a crime 36b (slang)
close a circuit 37 26 13c 31
conclude, enter into (an agreement) 43c (legal) 12?
consider to be 43 35 15a?, 15b 18c
constitute; make up 6 12, 15 22a 19 6 21c 19a 19
cook; prepare food 39 3a 3 8a
create (God ~ the world) 2a 2e
create artistically (~ a movie) 9 4c
create; cause to exist 1 3 II 2 3 (included in 1?) 2c 1 2
cultivate and produce a crop 3c (southern US), 11a, 38 38 (Southern US) 2f (mostly Southern US & Midwest)
declare (~ the price) 16c (vernacular, stock market) 11c
defecate 29 (*)
deliver (~ a speech) 43h 25 17 23
descry; make out 1f 7 32a (nautical) 26a
determine to be; set down as 33e
develop into; prove to be 47 24 15 8 21b 14
draw up (a document) with requisite formalities 1d 7; 30d (case or title) 12 2 11b 11b 11
eat (a meal) 48 17b
effect; cause to occur 5 13 (included in 14) 4? (included in 2c) 8
engage in; do (~ a fuss, ~ war) 7 (obsolete) 1 43e 9 21 (included in 2) (included in 16a) 9a
establish; enact 23 15a 14 11a 11a 13
esteem; suppose 3 17 (~ of it) 18 18a 16
extend in a certain direction 59c (US, Australia). 59d 6II
fabricate; fashion; construct (in a certain way) 1a 11, 17 (construct) 1a 1 1 1 4a 2 1
favor development of; give rise to 3II 46 2d; 7II? 15b
form (of ice) 58b (North America)
form mentally; formulate (~ plans) 30 5 7a 15
furnish material for 5 14, 30 22b, 36b 21 (material for action), 41 (material for object) 11 21a 16
gain inclusion in 52i 30 (informal) 32 22c 13b 27
gain; acquire 1e 10 26a 10 20 10 (money) 23 14a 9
give birth to / sire 19a 3 (give birth) (obsolete)
golf: be within shot of the hole 52e (golf)
have sex with 33 (slang) 27b (included in 28)
have the necessary or essential qualities; suffice for 34 21a 22 11 20b 21 21
have the position of 25a
hew or cut wood 68 (dialectal)
include in classification 30c (obsolete)
increase 4II (*)
increase in weight; grow (of a tree) 28
incur (a loss) 49a
induce; cause to do 4 (compel) 4, 8 (compel) 39a, 40a (by force) 8 4 5 (force) 18 6a, 6b (compel) 7
inflect in a given way 13 (grammar, rare)
interfere (included in 1II) 5II (now dialectal)
interpret 17c2 (obsolete)
kill or catch (game/fish) 17e
lay out and construct 4c
let be (~ that a double) 35g (colloquial, originally US)
make to order (~ and mend) 1d (mostly UK)
mark a time of day 35f (nautical, obsolete) 11d
mature (corn ~) (included in 3c) 44 (Southern US)
name the trump 34a (cards) 29a (cards)
offer, render (~ amends) 44a (obsolete outside of set phrases)
organize (~ a party) 26 (*)
pair or mate with 1II
perform a given movement (~ a bow) 43d 16b
perform a sacrament 43g (mostly Catholicism)
prepare a site for 8
prepare someone 64a (oneself) (obsolete, mostly Scottish), 64c (obsolete), 64d (obsolete, Scottish)
prepare, set in order (~ a fire, ~ a bed) 38 (fire), 27 (bed) 5 (fire), 62 (bed) 5 (~ a bed) 12 (~ a bed) 10a (fire), 10b (bed) 8b (bed), 8c (fire) 5 (bed)
preserve fish 72 (now mostly Newfoundland) 9a (dialect)
pretend to be 42 35a (reflexive), 51a (obsolete) 19 2dII (slang) 5II (slang)
proceed 2II 28, 36 70a (reflexive) (obsolete) 42 3II 4II 34
produce something artificial (make up) 1b 6 6? 3b (substance)
promote in rank 16e (mostly nautical), 33b (~ Pope)
provide a meal 14 (obsolete)
put forth (an effort) 50
put into a given state 2 2 34a, 34d (past participial complement), 61 (obsolete) 3 7 5a 3
recognize 52f (criminal/police slang) 36a (slang) 26d (slang)
render (~ a decision) 44c (legal, mostly US)
represent in a painting 1c (obsolete, rare)
rise or intensify (esp. of water) 58a (or to flow or increase strength) (nautical) 43 27 4II 7II 35
rob (someone) 26d (criminal slang)
score points 25 (cricket only)
seduce 40 52g (slang) 30 (slang, offensive) 27a 24 (slang) 28 (colloquial)
send in a given direction 41 (obsolete, rare) 14b ("put") (obsolete)
show a given emotion (~ cheer) 46a (obsolete)
shuffle the deck 75 (cards) 34d 24b 8c 29d (cards)
shut, make fast 63 (archaic, dialectal) 13a (dialectal)
steal; pilfer 26b (dialectal or slang) 24b (dialectal)
suffer (a misfortune) 49c (obsolete)
take the trick with 27a 34b (cards) 24a 25b 29b (cards)
to appear as, from offshore 32b (obsolete, nautical), 59a (obsolete, nautical)
to dry or be dried in the sun (hay, corn, etc.) 67 9b
train (an animal), to a certain standard 65a 12 (mostly UK)
transform; convert (X into Y) 18 33c 7 17a? 4 6
translate 16d (obsolete) 17c1 (archaic)
travel a given distance 52a 22 (included in 22a) 20 (included in 24)
travel at a given speed (included in 52a, as nautical) 26 (included in 22a) 24 (US)
travel by or through 34b (obsolete) 26b
traverse, go on (~ one's rounds) 43b 15c
undergo (~ a bend) 59b
urinate 49 (*)
use for a given purpose 16
work for a given amount of time 53b
write; compose 5II (archaic) (verses) 4a (write), 4b (verses, obsolete) 11 (write) 4b, 1II (verses) 7b 10
yield a mineral (of a deposit) 58c (mining, mostly Australian) 9II

Notes edit

  1. 1.0 1.1 http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=make
  2. 2.0 2.1 http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=make
  3. 3.0 3.1 http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00300060 (subscription) Those senses not attested after 1500 are ignored here.
  4. 4.0 4.1 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/make
  5. 5.0 5.1 HarperCollins Publishers (2001) Sinclair et al., editors, Collins Concise Dictionary, 5th ed., →ISBN, page 900
  6. 6.0 6.1 Pearson Education Ltd. (2003) “make”, in Quirk et al., editors, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, 4th ed., →ISBN, pages 993-996
  7. 7.0 7.1 http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=make (subscription)
  8. 8.0 8.1 http://www.bartleby.com/61/5/M0050500.html
  9. 9.0 9.1 http://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/ (subscription)