make good
Idioms-
Carry out successfully, make sure of, as in He made good his escape . This usage was first recorded in 1606.
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Fulfill, as in She made good her promise . This usage was first recorded in Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Bible (II Chronicles 6:16): “Make good unto my father, David ... that which thou hast promised him.”
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Compensate for, make up for, as in They made good the loss . This usage first appeared in William Langland's Piers Ploughman (1377).
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Succeed, as in He made good as a writer . [c. 1900]
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 goal, naturally, is to make good on the expectations the Dodgers had for him when they signed him to a three-year, $69-million deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
He said it was different to tools that assisted social workers - for example, recording a conversation to help them make good notes.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
American-accented English is heard more often in Tel Aviv and around Jerusalem as visitors from the U.S. finally make good on long-delayed plans to visit family and friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Nobody knows everything, and you probably do not know enough to make good short-term calls.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
I twisted the time around, personalized it into two and a half hours left for Fang to make good on my premonition.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
