make advances
Idioms-
Attempt to make someone's acquaintance or make overtures, as in The ambassador knew that the ministers would soon make advances to him . [Late 1600s]
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Approach amorously or sexually, as in His wife accused him of making advances to the nanny . [c. 1700] Also see make a pass at .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"You need hypotheses that are linguistically informed to make advances in neurolinguistics. There's so much interest in the years before Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed, to see if it can be caught and its progression stopped."
From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024
Those representing the dominant player in the market would contend that their growth has allowed them to innovate and make advances that greatly benefit consumers.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2023
The objective of the meeting was to find a way to make advances with the Syrians, who have always been evasive when asked about Mr. Tice, Mr. Zakka said.
From New York Times • Aug. 16, 2022
There must also be a renewed focus on helping countries to adapt to climate change, and to make advances on the issue of loss and damage.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2022
For this reason, when visitors tried to make advances to John he was sullen, and they, feeling that for some reason he disliked them, retaliated by deciding that he was a “funny” child.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
