Learn English Phrasal Verbs:Make
Make has fewer phrasal verbs than get or take, but the common ones do a lot of work: inventing, reconciling, and compensating.
make up
fabricate
He made up an excuse for being late.
He fabricated an excuse for being late.
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make up
put together
She made up a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
She put together a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
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make up
end hostilities
They finally made up after their argument.
They finally ended hostilities after their argument.
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make out
be able to see
I could barely make out the sign in the fog.
I could barely see the sign in the fog.
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make out
claim
He made out that he was the hero of the story.
He claimed that he was the hero of the story.
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make of
think of
What do you make of this new technology?
What do you think of this new technology?
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make up for
compensate
She tried to make up for her mistake by apologizing.
She tried to compensate for her mistake by apologizing.
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make off
leave quickly
The thief made off before the police arrived.
The thief left quickly before the police arrived.
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About this set
This short pack is for learners who keep meeting make up and are not sure which meaning they heard.
Make up appears three times here — invent, become friends again, and form / constitute — because that is how the verb is used.
Usage notes
- make up. Several meanings: invent a story, become friends again, or form a whole. Separable for invent (make a story up) and for reconcile in some patterns.
- make out. Can mean see or hear with difficulty, or understand. Informal. Another slang meaning exists; this pack stays with the “discern” use.
- make up for. Compensate. Make up for lost time. The for is required for this meaning.
- make off. Leave quickly, often after doing something wrong. Intransitive: they made off with the cash adds a with-phrase for the stolen thing.
Common questions
How do I tell the make up meanings apart?
Look at the object and the situation. Make up a story = invent. Make up after a row = reconcile. Women and men make up 50 percent of the class = form. If there is no object and there was an argument, it is usually reconcile.
Is make out the same as make up?
No. Make out is about seeing, hearing, or understanding something unclear. Make up is invent or reconcile. They only look similar on the page.