make the best of

To obtain the best results from (a poor, unpromising, etc situation)

make the best of one's way

To go as fast as one can

put one's best foot forward see under foot

six of the best see under six

to the best of one's knowledge or belief or ability

As far as one knows, believes or is able

with the best (of them)

As successfully as anyone

make¹ /māk/

transitive verb (mākˈing; māde)

1. To fashion, frame, construct, compose or form
2. To create
3. To bring into being
4. To produce
5. To conclude, contract
6. To bring about
7. To perform
8. To force
9. To cause
10. To result in
11. To cause to be
12. To convert or turn
13. To appoint
14. To render
15. To represent as doing or being
16. To reckon
17. To get as result or solution
18. To occasion
19. To bring into any state or condition
20. To establish
21. (in the navy) to promote
22. To prepare
23. To shut (as a door) (Shakespeare)
24. To shuffle (cards)
25. To declare as trumps (cards)
26. To win a trick (cards)
27. To obtain, gain or earn
28. To score
29. To constitute
30. To amount to
31. To count for
32. To turn out
33. To be capable of turning or developing into or serving as
34. To arrive in sight of
35. To reach, succeed in reaching
36. To accomplish, achieve
37. To attempt, offer or start
38. To be occupied with
39. To do
40. To cause or assure the success of
41. To persuade (esp a woman) to have sexual intercourse with one (slang)
42. To have sexual intercourse with (slang)

intransitive verb

1. To behave (as if), esp in order to deceive
2. To proceed
3. To tend, to result
4. To contribute
5. To flow
6. To versify (archaic)
7. To be in condition for making
8. To matter (as it maksna, it does not matter; Scot)

noun

1. Form or shape
2. Structure, texture
3. Build
4. Formation
5. Manufacture
6. Brand
7. Type
8. Making
9. Character or disposition
10. Quantity made
11. Establishment of an electric circuit or contact
12. Trump declaration (cards)

makˈable or makeˈable adjective

mākˈer noun

1. A person who makes
2. (with cap) the Creator
3. (esp in Scots form, makar /makˈ, mäkˈər/) a poet (archaic)
4. The declarer (bridge)
5. A jack in cards (obsolete)
6. A caulker's tool

mākˈing noun

1. The act of forming (often in combination, as in bread-making, cabinetmaking, etc)
2. Structure
3. Form
4. (in pl) gains
5. (in pl) materials or qualities from which something can be made
6. (in pl) materials used to prepare cigarettes, heroin, etc (slang)

makeˈ-and-breakˈ noun

1. The making and breaking of an electrical circuit
2. A device which causes this to happen

makeˈbate noun (archaic)

A mischief-maker

makeˈ-believe intransitive verb see make believe below.

noun

Feigning (also makeˈ-belief)

adjective

Feigned

makeˈ-do adjective

Makeshift

makeˈ-or-breakˈ adjective see make or break below.

makeˈover noun

1. A complete change in the style of a person's dress, appearance, etc, esp one following professional advice
2. A complete reorganization of a company under new management
3. An act of refurbishing a property, vehicle, etc

makeˈ-peace noun (Shakespeare)

A peace-maker

makeˈ-ready noun

Preparation of a letterpress sheet for printing, so as to obtain evenness of impression

makeˈshift noun

A temporary expedient or substitute

adjective

Of the nature of or characterized by a temporary expedient

makeˈunder noun (:informal)

A complete change of dress, appearance, etc to make a person seem less glamorous

makeˈ-up noun (also without hyphen)

1. The way anything is arranged, composed, or constituted, or the ingredients in its constitution
2. One's character, temperament, or mental qualities
3. Cosmetics for self-beautification, worn esp by women, and by actors as an aid to impersonation
4. The effect produced thereby
5. The arrangement of composed types into columns or pages (printing)

makeˈ-weight noun

1. Something which is thrown into a scale to make up the weight
2. A person or thing of little value added to compensate for a deficiency

be the making of

To ensure the success of

have the makings of

To have all the necessary ability and inclination to become

in the making

In the process of being formed, developed, etc, or of becoming

make account of see under account

make a face

To grimace, contort the features

make a figure

To be conspicuous

make a fool of see under fool¹

make after

To follow or pursue

make against

To militate or tell against

make a (good) meal, dinner, etc

To dine, etc (plentifully or heartily)

make allowances for see under allow

make a meal of see under meal¹

make amends

To render compensation or satisfaction

make an ass of oneself

To behave like a fool

make a night (or day) of it

To extend an, esp enjoyable, activity through the whole night (or day)

make as if or (N American) make like or as though

To act as if, to pretend that

make at

To make a hostile movement against

make away (with)

To put out of the way, get rid of, destroy, kill (see also make off or away with below)

make believe

1. To pretend, feign
2. To play at believing

make bold see under bold

make certain (of)

1. To find out
2. To put beyond doubt
3. To secure

make do (with)

To manage (with the usu inferior or inadequate means available)

make down

1. To refashion so as to fit a smaller person
2. To turn down the sheets and blankets of (Scot)

make eyes at see under eye¹

make for

1. To set out for, seek to reach
2. To favour

make free with see under free

make friends

1. To become friendly
2. To acquire friends

make good, make light of, make little of, make love to, make merry see under good, etc.

make head or tail of

To find any sense in

make it

1. To reach an objective
2. To succeed in a purpose
3. To become a success (informal)
4. To have one's way sexually (with) (slang)

make much of

1. To treat with fondness, to cherish, to foster
2. To turn to great account
3. To find much sense in, succeed in understanding

make no doubt

To have no doubt, to be confident

make nothing of

1. To regard as being of little importance
2. To have no hesitation or difficulty in (doing)
3. To be totally unable to understand

make of

1. To construct from (as material)
2. To understand by
3. To make much of, to pet (obsolete and Scot)
4. To esteem (obsolete)

make off

To decamp

make off or away with

To run away with

make on (Shakespeare)

To make much of

make one's way

1. To proceed
2. To succeed

make or break or make or mar

To be the crucial test that brings success or failure to (makeˈ-or-breakˈ adjective)

make or meddle with

To have to do with, interfere with

make out

1. To descry, to see
2. To discern
3. To decipher
4. To comprehend, understand
5. To prove
6. To seek to make it appear
7. To draw up
8. To achieve (obsolete)
9. To fill up
10. To make do, get along somehow
11. To succeed
12. To engage in lovemaking (with) (chiefly N American; slang)

make over

1. To remake or reconstruct
2. To make a complete change in a person's style of dress, appearance, etc
3. To transfer (makeˈover noun)

make sail

1. To increase the quantity of sail
2. To set sail

make someone's day see under day

make sure (of)

1. To ascertain
2. To put beyond doubt or risk
3. To secure
4. To feel certain
5. To betroth (obsolete)

make the best of

1. To turn to the best advantage
2. To take in the best spirit

make the most of

To use to the best advantage

make up

1. To fabricate
2. To feign
3. To collect
4. To put together
5. To parcel
6. To put into shape
7. To arrange
8. To settle (an argument)
9. To become friends again (after a quarrel, etc)
10. To constitute
11. To repair
12. To complete, supplement
13. To adjust one's appearance (as an actor for a part)
14. To apply cosmetics to the face
15. To put type, etc into columns and pages
16. To set out and balance (accounts)
17. To make good
18. To compensate
19. To decide (Shakespeare)

make up one's mind

To come to a decision

make up to

1. To make friendly, adulatory, or amorous approaches to
2. To compensate

make way see under way¹

make with (informal; orig N American)

To start using, doing, etc (something), to bring on or into operation

meet one's maker

To meet God, to die

of one's own making

Entirely the result of one's own decisions and actions

on the make (informal)

Bent on self-advancement or promotion, or on finding a sexual partner

put the make on (slang)

To make sexual advances to