make sense
Idioms-
Be understandable. This usage, first recorded in 1686, is often used in a negative context, as in This explanation doesn't make sense .
-
Be reasonable, wise, or practical, as in It makes sense to find out first how many will attend the conference . This term employs sense in the meaning of “what is reasonable,” a usage dating from 1600. In Britain it is also put as stand to sense .
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.
But they make sense in light of the contrast between economic and political uncertainty.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Rather than pinning grand hopes and dreams to his books, he simply aims to help everyday people make sense of something they otherwise may not have time to.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The party has long struggled to make sense of what it, and its voters, wants.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
"A business should not continue just because it has existed for a long time. It should also make sense for society, for the economy and for the animals," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
To him it all made sense, as long as he didn’t really need to make sense of it.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
