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.
A ragtag ensemble, a daunting task, an uncertain journey: Here are all the makings of a classic fantasy tale, with the bonus additions of Mr. Stead’s droll humor and eye for whimsical detail.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
“This is all the makings of the most hated V-shaped rally again,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
“They like makings me look like a monster because of way I looks maybe. All my life’s I been told to be quiet and do what I was told. No mores.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 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
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.
