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Synonyms

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.

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. 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I was just asking people to reckon the fact that this person has a reputation of being predatory and we’re looking at making him the governor of the fourth-largest economy in the world,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

There will be four players making their first appearance at the Crucible - England's Stan Moody and Liam Pullen, and Poland's Antoni Kowalski qualified on Tuesday, with He joining them on Wednesday.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Raheja admitted to making false statements to federal agents in 2023, including denying that the overbooking practices were intentional, according to the plea agreement.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Investors have been happy to bid up shares of “picks and shovels” plays, the companies making the tools and infrastructure to power AI.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

I never opened my workbench at all but joined Betsie making coffee and carrying it down.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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.