Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

make

/meɪk/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.08 in modern English

Syllables
make
IPA
/meɪk/
10
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To create.

Transitive verb

verb

To create.

Transitive verb

verb

To create.

Transitive verb

verb

To create.

Transitive verb

verb

To create.

Transitive verb

verb

To behave, to act.

Colloquial; Intransitive verb

verb

To tend; to contribute; to have effect; with for or against.

Intransitive verb

verb

To constitute.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English macen, machiæ, macian, macke, mak, make, maken, makiȝe, from Old English macian (“to build, make, work”), from Proto-West Germanic *makōn (“to build, make, work”), from *mak (“agreeable, comfortable, fit, suitable”), from Proto-Germanic *makaz (“agreeable, comfortable, fit, suitable”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂ǵ-, *meh₂ḱ- (“to knead”) or *meg- (“to be comfortable, pleasant”). Related to match. Cognates Cognate with Scots mak (“to make”), Yola maak, maake (“to make”), North Frisian maage, maaki, mååge (“to make”), Saterland Frisian moakje (“to make; to repair; to prepare; to preach; to earn”), West Frisian meitsje (“to make”), Alemannic German mache (“to make; to do”), Bavarian måcha, måchn (“to make; to do; to go; to cause; to play; to matter; to look”), Cimbrian machan (“to make”), Dutch and Low German maken (“to make”), German machen (“to make; to do; to go; to cause; to play; to fare; to look”), Luxembourgish maachen, man (“to make; to do; to take; to equal; to put”), Mòcheno mòchen (“to make”), Vilamovian mahha (“to make; to do”), Yiddish מאַכן (makhn, “to create, make; to do; to say”); also probably Irish mám (“yoke; duty, obligation; function, service”), Latin mācerō (“to soften; to weaken; to mortify; to torture”), Ancient Greek μάσσω (mássō, “to handle, knead; to wipe”), Bulgarian ма́жа (máža, “to smear; to oil”), Czech mazat (“to lubricate; to spread; to smear; to scribble; to erase”), Polish mazać (“to smear; to scribble; to pule, whimper”), Russian ма́зать (mázatʹ, “to oil; to paint; to smear; to soil; to miss”), Serbo-Croatian ма̏зати, mȁzati (“to smear; to dirty”), Ukrainian ма́зати (mázaty, “to smear”), Old Armenian մած (mac, “glued together, joined; coagulated, curdled; adhesive, sticking; compact; dense”), Hindi मचाना (macānā, “to cause, raise, wreak”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: macen, macian, *makōn, *makaz, *meh₂ǵ-, make

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce make?
The recorded pronunciation is /meɪk/.
What does make mean?
To create.
Where does make come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce make

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “make”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/meɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “make”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “make” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.