Showing results for "making"

• present participle of make.

making

American  

[mey-king] / ˈmeɪ kɪŋ /

noun

• makings
  plural

1. the act of a person or thing that makes.

   The making of a violin requires great skill.

2. structure; constitution; makeup.

3. the means or cause of success or advancement.

   to be the making of someone.

4. Usually makings. capacity or potential.

   He has the makings of a first-rate officer.

5. makings,

   1. material of which something may be made.

      the makings for a tossed salad.

   2. Older Slang. paper and tobacco with which to make a hand-rolled cigarette.

6. something made.

7. the quantity made.

   a making of butter.

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idioms

1. in the making, in the process of being made; developing or evolving; growing.

   Our space scientists see history in the making.

making British  

/ ˈmeɪkɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the act of a person or thing that makes or the process of being made

   2. ( in combination )

      watchmaking

2. to cause the success of

3. in the process of becoming or being made

   a politician in the making

4. something made or the quantity of something made at one time

5. make-up; composition

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-making
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• makings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of making

First recorded before 1150; Middle English; Old English macung; make ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

making makings

"There are individuals exploiting the lack of coordination between stores, between police forces and making vast sums of money," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Critics of age limits argue policymakers should focus on making platforms safe.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Ami recalls making "phone call after phone call" chasing her winnings.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

An AI system has no stake; it isn’t capable of reform or making amends.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

“You look like you could use some water,” Nate says from behind me, making me startle.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Add Evan McCalister of Valencia, Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran and Jeremy Mellalieu of Chaminade and you have the makings of a stellar sophomore class.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

From a distance, the movie has the makings of a classic.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

"We realised we had a drummer and a few different players. Once we started meeting regularly, we realised we had the makings of a band."

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

It’s hardly the makings of a global depression, but it will surely deliver more persistent pain than markets are currently pricing in.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

He had known they were getting sharp, but now he knew in no uncertain terms that he had the makings of something exceptional in his boat.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• formulation