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 .
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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 in an interview with The Wall Street Journal—conducted earlier this summer before the company’s going concern disclosure—he said all the projects make sense given the unique niche they will fill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
From rules that don't always make sense to chaotic corridors and simply adjusting to everyday challenges, Pablo navigates this unfamiliar experience one drama at a time.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
When data come out of a model, students have to ask, “does it make sense? Is this validated?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
That is when gold started to make sense to me.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
I stare at the words, trying to make sense of what I’m reading, trying to find a way to link them to Bubbe.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
