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.
Introduced in 2018, this district was chosen as the host site by one of the Porchfest founders, Elizabeth Nelson, who thought their period homes would make for a perfect backdrop for the event.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Are the exceptions that every parent would make for their child morally permissible?
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The real training ground is the classroom, where group projects, Socratic discussions and the process of living, working and studying alongside others force you to learn the people skills that make for a successful career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Pay pressures in his department and the Department of Education also make for another winter of discontent, with the prospect of strike action yet to be ruled out.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Because while the electric lights of downtown make for some nice sightseeing, I can also see the Trial stadium looming off in the east.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
