make for
Britishverb
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to head towards, esp in haste
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to prepare to attack
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to help to bring about
your cooperation will make for the success of our project
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Have or cause to have a particular effect; also, help promote or further. For example, That letter of yours will make for hard feelings in the family , or This system makes for better communication . [Early 1500s]
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Go toward, as in They turned around and made for home . This usage originated in the late 1500s, but was not widely used until the 1800s. Also see made for .
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.
The average check is $2,000 a month, and, while that’s a lot of money to some people, it’s going to make for a modest retirement after paying for rent, utilities, food and transportation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Yet many still doubt that the choices we make for convenience’s sake are destroying the planet.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The changing picture is nevertheless likely to make for tense discussions among the ECB's "hawks", who favour rate hikes, and the "doves", who advocate looser policy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Meanwhile, a sharp decline in the U.S. fertility rate that began in the mid-2000s will make for fewer young people entering adulthood in the years to come.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
‘We must make for the Road again,’ he said.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
