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.
A left-sided attacking player would make sense given United were in the market for Antoine Semenyo in January.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
To that end, he brought in actual NFL players as consultants to help with the storylines and make sure the details make sense.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
Michelle Collins, an accountant who works downtown, said it doesn’t make sense someone would remove their trousers at town hall to clean them off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Americans deserve the ability to properly make sense of how inflation is measured.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026
And Kat did her Kat thing, looking to see if there were any patterns that didn’t make sense.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
