Actions & Behavior (Make): English Vocabulary List

to attempt to escape quickly or suddenly from a situation or place

"He made a break for it."

"The prisoner tried to make a break for the door but the guards caught him before he could escape."

to provide assistance, support, or something valuable to a cause, organization, or effort

"Make a contribution to charity."

"Everyone in the team made a contribution to the success of the project and we celebrated together afterwards."

to find or identify something new or previously unknown, often through research, exploration, or investigation

"Scientists made a discovery."

"The research team made a discovery that could potentially revolutionize modern medicine."

to react with excessive or unnecessary attention or agitation about something

"Don't make a fuss about it."

"The child started to make a fuss when his mother refused to buy him the expensive toy."

to regularly or repeatedly do something as part of one's routine or behavior

"Make a habit of reading."

"You should not make a habit of arriving late to meetings because people will think you are unreliable."

to travel from one place to another, often involving a significant distance

"We made a journey far."

"They made a long journey across the desert to reach the ancient city before the winter snows arrived."

to start to leave a place to get to somewhere else

"Let's make a move."

"As the evening grew late and the party started to wind down, it was time to make a move towards home."

to record or write down something for the purpose of remembering it or referring to it later

"I will make a note of that."

"Please make a note of the meeting time so you don't forget it later."

to emphasize, express, or communicate a specific idea or argument

"She made a good point."

"During the meeting, she made a point about improving communication, which everyone agreed was important for the team."

to commit to doing something in the future

"Make a promise, keep it."

"You should only make a promise if you are sure that you will be able to keep it."

to ask for something or express a desire for someone to do something

"Made a request for help."

"She made a formal request to the manager asking for additional time off during the holidays."

to secure a place, seat, or accommodation in advance

"Make a reservation now."

"I called the restaurant to make a reservation for four people at seven o'clock this evening."

to take action to support or defend a position or opinion

"Make a stand for justice."

"The protesters decided to make a stand against the new law by camping outside the parliament building."

to propose a course of action for consideration

"Make a suggestion for improvement."

"I would like to make a suggestion that could help improve our team's overall productivity."

to go to a place or location, typically for a short period, to see someone or something

"Made a visit to town."

"We should make a visit to my grandmother this weekend because she has not been feeling well lately."

to express a desire for something to happen, often done before blowing out candles on a birthday cake

"Make a wish, blow out."

"She closed her eyes to make a wish before blowing out the candles."

to set a specific time for a meeting, event, or service

"Make an appointment soon."

"I need to make an appointment with the dentist because I have a terrible toothache that will not go away."

to organize something, often involving agreements or preparations

"Made an arrangement for us."

"The couple made an arrangement to meet at the coffee shop after work to discuss their wedding plans."

to try to do something, especially when the outcome is uncertain

"She made an attempt to climb the mountain."

"He made an attempt to climb the mountain but had to turn back because the weather was too dangerous."

to try to do or accomplish something, particularly something difficult

"You should make an effort."

"You need to make an effort if you want to improve your language skills quickly."

to successfully free oneself from a place or situation, often involving danger or confinement

"He made an escape yesterday."

"The prisoners planned carefully to make an escape from the high-security facility."

to treat a specific case differently from the usual rule or practice

"Please make an exception today."

"The teacher decided to make an exception for the student who missed the exam due to a family emergency and allowed a makeup test."

to determine a value through mathematical means

"I made a quick calculation in my head."

"The engineer made a quick calculation and estimated that the bridge would cost about five million pounds to build."

to apply a cost for a product, service, or transaction

"They will make a charge."

"The hotel will make a charge for room service, which will be added to your final bill."

to explain something in a way that is easy to understand

"Let me make this clear."

"Let me make it clear that I will not tolerate any more bad behaviour from anyone in this team."

to ridicule someone or something in a teasing or humorous manner

"Don't make fun of others."

"It is unkind to make fun of someone just because they are different from you."

to simplify a task or situation to make it more manageable

"This software makes editing easy."

"The user manual makes it easy to assemble the furniture even for someone with no DIY experience at all."

to be understandable in a way that is reasonable

"This makes good sense."

"Her explanation of the complex scientific theory finally made sense to the students after she used visual aids."

to ensure that a system, device, or plan functions as intended

"We need to make this plan work."

"The engineer managed to make the old machine work again by replacing a few broken parts."

to take steps to confirm if something is correct, safe, or properly arranged

"Make sure you lock it."

"Please make sure you have turned off all the lights before you leave the house this evening."

to arrange the bedding and pillows of a bed neatly, typically after waking up

"Please make the bed before leaving."

"She always makes the bed as soon as she wakes up because she likes her bedroom to look neat and tidy."

to set aside a period for a specific activity or purpose despite a busy schedule or other commitments

"You need to make time for exercise."

"Even though she is very busy she always makes time to have dinner with her family every evening."

to intentionally cause problems or difficulties

"Do not try to make trouble."

"The new student tried to make trouble by spreading rumours about the teacher but nobody believed him."

to create flames for warmth or cooking by using various materials

"He made a fire to keep warm."

"The campers gathered dry wood and leaves to make a fire and keep themselves warm through the cold night."

to formally agree to be married to someone

"They will make marriage."

"The two families decided to make marriage between their children to secure their business alliance."

to manage to continue doing something with only few available means or resources

"We will make do."

"With limited supplies, the explorers had to make do with what little food and water they had left."

to do something that makes an already bad situation worse

"His comment made matters worse."

"He was already late and to make matters worse he realised that he had forgotten his wallet at home."

to perform an action that is incorrect or unintended, often resulting in an error or oversight

"I made a mistake."

"Everyone can make a mistake sometimes so do not be too hard on yourself."

to create disorder or untidiness in a particular area or environment

"Kids made a mess here."

"The children managed to make a mess in the kitchen while trying to bake cookies."

to create unwanted, unpleasant, or loud sounds

"Don't make a noise."

"The construction crew was warned not to make a noise after 10 PM to avoid disturbing residents."

to use military forces and weapons to fight against nations, groups, or individuals

"Nations should not make war."

"Throughout history, powerful leaders have chosen to make war instead of seeking peaceful solutions."

to achieve a specific ranking in a competition or event

"Our team made second place in the tournament."

"The young athlete made third place in the competition and received a bronze medal for her efforts."

to arrange or schedule something in advance, such as a ticket. place, or service

"I need to make a booking for a table."

"I would like to make a booking for two people at seven o'clock this evening please."

to take action in order to achieve something

"We must make a move."

"Recognizing the opportunity, the company decided to make a move and acquire its smaller competitor."