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.
So, even if surgery becomes inevitable, as long as Rushing can hit and the Dodgers think he can contribute off the bench into the postseason, holding off any operation until the offseason could make sense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Mathematicians have long used their tools to make sense of human behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Some possible answers include because you are in a low tax bracket, Roth conversions make sense, RMDs are kicking in and inherited IRA distributions have withdrawal deadlines.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
In a matter of weeks, she dashed off 11 short, guitar-based songs that tried to make sense of her whirlwind two years.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Hearing her say out loud the words I’d been trying to make sense of for the last few days made me realize I still didn’t believe them.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
