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.
Luckily for Bottoms, he’s third in the polls right now, so it’s unlikely he’ll have to make good on this promise.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
While the theater’s renovation timeline won’t be complete before she graduates, she’s certain that other students will make good use of it when it reopens.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
He also said that people who read financial columnists or listen to financial podcasts “don’t make good clients.”
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
“The Marriott PMS project continues to make good progress and is on plan,” CEO Ramesh Srinivasan said on Monday’s earnings call.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
“My mother,” said Ron one night, as they sat in the tent on a riverbank in Wales, “can make good food appear out of thin air.”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
