on the make
Idioms-
Seeking personal gain, as in Tom's a young man on the make—he doesn't care whom he offends . [ Slang ; second half of 1800s]
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Looking for sexual conquest, as in After several affairs, Peter got the reputation of being a man on the make . [ Slang ; c. 1920]
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.
He can afford to pay more now, but would the 28-year-old Mitt still on the make have thought so?
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025
Melissa went on the make a second landfall in eastern Cuba still as a major hurricane and brought widespread damage and flooding.
From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025
It was a business city on the make, with “Bill Luck” — William Boeing and Bill Gates with Microsoft.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 11, 2023
There was also no information available on the make and model of the vehicle involved.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2023
Alas, Egyptian mines were tapped out; the Ptolemies were therefore constantly on the make for gold and silver to pay their soldiers.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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.
