make sense
Idioms-
Be understandable. This usage, first recorded in 1686, is often used in a negative context, as in This explanation doesn't make sense .
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Be reasonable, wise, or practical, as in It makes sense to find out first how many will attend the conference . This term employs sense in the meaning of “what is reasonable,” a usage dating from 1600. In Britain it is also put as stand to sense .
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.
A left-sided attacking player would make sense given United were in the market for Antoine Semenyo in January.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
To that end, he brought in actual NFL players as consultants to help with the storylines and make sure the details make sense.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
Does it make sense to simplify and focus more heavily on growth-oriented allocations?
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
Americans deserve the ability to properly make sense of how inflation is measured.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026
Theo, whose evasions still bother me, whose secrets don’t make sense to me, whose secrets I didn’t even imagine existed.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
