making

American  

[mey-king] / ˈmeɪ kɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that makes.

   The making of a violin requires great skill.

2. structure; constitution; makeup.

3. the means or cause of success or advancement.

   to be the making of someone.

4. Usually makings. capacity or potential.

   He has the makings of a first-rate officer.

5. makings,

   1. material of which something may be made.

      the makings for a tossed salad.

   2. Older Slang. paper and tobacco with which to make a hand-rolled cigarette.

6. something made.

7. the quantity made.

   a making of butter.

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idioms

1. in the making, in the process of being made; developing or evolving; growing.

   Our space scientists see history in the making.

making British  

/ ˈmeɪkɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the act of a person or thing that makes or the process of being made

   2. ( in combination )

      watchmaking

2. to cause the success of

3. in the process of becoming or being made

   a politician in the making

4. something made or the quantity of something made at one time

5. make-up; composition

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Other Word Forms

• self-making
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of making

First recorded before 1150; Middle English; Old English macung; make ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

She said when she first had her daughter Gabriella - who was just 22 months old when she was detained - she "dreamed of making matching dresses".

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Now, thanks to a two-decade conservation initiative across southern Spain and parts of Portugal, there are an estimated 2,700 Iberian lynx in the wild, making it one of the world’s most miraculous comeback stories.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

Her decision is making for some uncomfortable home-state politics.

From Slate • May 30, 2026

While that future remains many years away, the work represents a step toward making quantum technology more accessible and practical.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2026

I suppose we must have been three weeks or so into our journey across Germany, and we were making much slower progress than Peter had expected.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

• formulation