making
Americannoun
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the act of a person or thing that makes.
The making of a violin requires great skill.
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structure; constitution; makeup.
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the means or cause of success or advancement.
to be the making of someone.
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Usually makings. capacity or potential.
He has the makings of a first-rate officer.
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makings,
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something made.
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the quantity made.
a making of butter.
idioms
noun
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the act of a person or thing that makes or the process of being made
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( in combination )
watchmaking
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to cause the success of
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in the process of becoming or being made
a politician in the making
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something made or the quantity of something made at one time
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make-up; composition
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of making
First recorded before 1150; Middle English; Old English macung; make 1 + -ing 1
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.
See Examples For:
The official trailer for the film adaptation of the African fantasy novel “Children of Blood and Bone” is making a splash online, and the director just revealed that she almost didn’t make the film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
These leaders argued that, with appropriate oversight, viruses could be manipulated, making them more transmissible or deadly, to evaluate how likely they were to make the leap to humans from animals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
While the US private sector currently dominates the global space launch market, China is rapidly making progress and aims to send humans to the Moon by 2030.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Humidity will also ease, making it more comfortable for sleeping.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“You look like you could use some water,” Nate says from behind me, making me startle.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
From a distance, the movie has the makings of a classic.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
"We realised we had a drummer and a few different players. Once we started meeting regularly, we realised we had the makings of a band."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“We perhaps have the makings of a deal here,” Bessent said from the White House, noting both sides have been swapping proposals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
“This is all the makings of the most hated V-shaped rally again,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026
She had always had the makings of a legend in her: the prodigious strength, the fearlessness, the religious ardor, the visions she had in which she experienced moments of prescience.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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.
