Phrasal verbs with make: The common meanings, example sentences and how to use them correctly

A phrasal verb with make combines the verb make with a particle such as up, out, for or off, and the new combination often has a meaning that is different from the separate words. Make on its own usually means to create or produce, but make up a story means to invent one, and make out the sign means to see it with difficulty. Because one particle can carry several meanings, learners often find these verbs confusing, especially make up, which has more than one common use.

This article explains the main phrasal verbs with make, their meanings and example sentences, how the word order works, how they differ from ordinary make collocations, and common mistakes, followed by exercises with answers.

What phrasal verb with make are and why their meanings vary so much

How a phrasal verb with make is formed

A phrasal verb is a verb followed by one or two particles, usually an adverb or a preposition. In a phrasal verb with make, the particle changes the meaning of the verb.

Examples: make + up = invent, form or reconcile. make + out = see, understand or pretend. make + for = move toward or contribute to.

Why one phrasal verb can have several meanings

The meaning of a phrasal verb depends on the context. Make up can describe inventing a story, forming a group, or ending a quarrel, and you usually recognize the meaning from the words around it. If you are unsure, check a learner dictionary, which normally lists each meaning separately with an example.

Common phrasal verb with make: A quick reference table

Make up: Inventing, forming, reconciling and compensating

Make up meaning to invent a story, an excuse or a name

To make up something is to invent it, often a story, an excuse or a name.

Examples: He made up a story to explain why he was late. The children made up a game.

Make up meaning form or compose

In the passive form, be made up of describes the parts that form something.

Examples: The committee is made up of five members. Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen.

Make up meaning end a quarrel

Used without an object, make up means to become friends again after a disagreement.

Examples: They argued for an hour and then made up. She made up with her sister.

Make up for: Compensating for a loss or a mistake

Make up for is a three-part phrasal verb. It means to balance a negative thing with something positive.

Examples: He bought flowers to make up for forgetting her birthday. We worked late to make up for lost time.

Related expressions with make up, including make up your mind

Make up your mind means to decide: Please make up your mind quickly. The noun makeup (also written make-up) refers to cosmetics or to the way something is composed, and it is not a verb.

Make out: Seeing, understanding, writing and pretending

Make out meaning see or hear with difficulty

Examples: I couldn’t make out the words on the old sign. It was foggy, and we could hardly make out the boat.

Make out meaning to understand or work out the sense of something

Examples: I can’t make out why he left so suddenly. The handwriting is so bad that I can’t make it out.

Make out meaning pretend or claim

Example: He made out that he knew the answer, but he did not. This use is informal and often suggests that the claim is not true.

Make out meaning write or complete a document

Examples: She made out a cheque for fifty pounds. Please make out the invoice in my name.

Make for, make off with, make into and make of: Four useful phrasal verbs

Make for: Moving toward a place or contributing to a result

Make for has two common meanings. The first is to move toward a place: When it started to rain, we made for the shelter. The second is to contribute to or result in something: A short meeting makes for a more productive day.

Make off with: Leaving quickly with something that is not yours

Make off with means to leave quickly with something that does not belong to you.

Example: Someone broke in and made off with a laptop.

Make into: Changing one thing so that it becomes another

Make into means to change something so that it becomes something else.

Examples: They made the garage into an office. Grapes are made into wine.

Make of: Giving or asking for an opinion or interpretation

Make of is used mainly in questions and negatives, to ask for or give an opinion or interpretation.

Examples: What do you make of this news? I don’t know what to make of her answer.

Separable and inseparable phrasal verb with make: Where the object goes

Some phrasal verbs with make can be split by the object, and others cannot.

The pronoun rule for separable verbs

When the object is a pronoun such as it, them or her, it must go between the verb and the particle.

Examples: She made it up. (not “She made up it.”) I can’t make it out. (not “I can’t make out it.”)

Phrasal verb with make compared with make collocations

Many learners confuse phrasal verbs with ordinary make collocations. In a collocation, make keeps its normal meaning of creating or doing, and the noun follows directly, as in make a decision, make a mistake or make progress. In a phrasal verb, the particle changes the meaning of make itself, as in make up or make out. You can find a wider list of word partners in our article on collocation.

Common mistakes with phrasal verb with make and how to fix them

• Putting a pronoun after the particle. Writing She made up it instead of She made it up.
• Leaving out a particle in a three-part verb. Writing I’ll make it up you instead of I’ll make it up to you, or make up lost time instead of make up for lost time.
• Choosing the wrong particle. Writing He made out for the exit instead of He made for the exit, because make out does not mean to move toward a place.
• Confusing the verb and noun forms. Writing She make up her face in a sentence that needs the noun: She wore a lot of makeup.
• Using a three-part verb without the preposition. Writing The thief made off the wallet instead of The thief made off with the wallet.
• Treating every make + particle as a phrasal verb. In make a plan for the weekend, for belongs to the noun phrase and is not part of a phrasal verb.

Exercises with phrasal verb with make and answers

Exercise 1: Complete each sentence with the correct phrasal verb

Use: make up, make out, make off with, make up for, make for.

1. She ______ a story about why she was late.
2. It was too dark, so I couldn’t ______ the number on the door.
3. The burglars ______ the television and a laptop.
4. Nothing can ______ the time we lost.
5. After the storm, the ship ______ the nearest port.

Sample answers: 1. made up – 2. make out – 3. made off with – 4. make up for – 5. made for

Exercise 2: Rewrite each sentence with a phrasal verb with make

1. She invented an excuse.
2. He could barely see the sign.
3. They moved toward the exit.
4. They changed the barn into a house.
5. What is your opinion of the plan?

Sample answers:

1. She made up an excuse.
2. He could barely make out the sign.
3. They made for the exit.
4. They made the barn into a house.
5. What do you make of the plan?

Exercise 3: Find and correct the error in each sentence

1. She made up it. → correct to She made it up.
2. I’ll make up it for you. → correct to I’ll make it up to you.
3. He made out for the exit. → correct to He made for the exit.
4. The thief made off the wallet. → correct to The thief made off with the wallet.
5. We must make up lost time. → correct to We must make up for lost time.

Tips for remembering phrasal verb with make

• Learn each meaning with one example sentence. A sentence you can picture is easier to recall than a list of definitions.
• Group by particle. Putting all make up meanings together shows how context decides which one fits.
• Learn the object rule at the same time. Note whether a verb is separable when you first meet it.
• Notice them in real texts. Underline phrasal verbs in articles, films and conversations, and add them to a personal list.
• Use them in your own sentences. Writing or saying a new phrasal verb two or three times helps it stay in memory.

A phrasal verb with make often has several meanings, so the particle and the context decide what the phrase means. Focus first on the common ones, make up, make out, make for, make off with, make into and make of, remember the pronoun rule for separable verbs, and keep them separate from ordinary make collocations. With regular practice, these verbs will sound natural in both speaking and writing.

See also: Cleft sentence: What it is and how to form one

Frequently asked questions about phrasal verb with make

What does make up mean as a phrasal verb?

Make up has several meanings: to invent something (make up a story), to form or compose something (be made up of), and to end a quarrel (They made up). Make up for is a separate phrasal verb that means to compensate for something.

Are phrasal verb with make separable?

Some are and some are not. Make up (invent), make out (see or understand) and make into are separable, so you can say make a story up or make up a story, but with a pronoun you must say make it up. Make for, make off with and make up for are not separable.

What is the difference between make out and make up?

Make out is usually about seeing, hearing, understanding or writing something, as in I can’t make out the sign. Make up is usually about inventing, forming or ending a quarrel, as in She made up a story. The two phrases have different meanings and cannot replace each other.

Keyword:

• phrasal verbs with make