makings
Britishplural noun
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potentials, qualities, or materials
he had the makings of a leader
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Also called: rollings. slang the tobacco and cigarette paper used for rolling a cigarette
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profits; earnings
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.
“This is all the makings of the most hated V-shaped rally again,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
The match in Rabat, between two of the continent's leading nations, had the makings of the tie of the round but never quite lived up to its billing.
From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026
Aldi’s box, at $40 for 10 people, also includes the makings for green bean casserole and a pumpkin pie with whipped topping.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025
He may lack the plumber's balletic moveset, but with some of Nintendo's most imaginative minds plotting his next adventure Donkey Kong's latest has the makings of a smash hit.
From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025
The weevil is only about thirty millimeters long, easily overlooked, but it has the makings of a myth.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
