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.
Giving parents money to stay home, on its face, would seem to make sense.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
All the emotions won't make sense until I get back home with the kids and then it'll be like: 'OK, I am actually still alive and living my life.'
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Looked at individually, each rule might make sense.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
“I’ve had real conversations with clients where it’s like, ‘Hey, I know you like this area, but it may make sense for you to move,’” Grant said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
I will tell you more about it later because this story of betrayal and sadness wouldn’t make sense without it.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
