make-do

[meyk-doo] /ˈmeɪkˌdu/
noun, plural make-dos.
1.
something that serves as a substitute, especially of an inferior or expedient nature:
We had to get along with make-dos during the war.
adjective
2.
used as a substitute; makeshift:
make-do curtains.
Origin
1890-95

make1

[meyk] /meɪk/
verb (used with object), made, making.
1.
to bring into existence by shaping or changing material, combining parts, etc.:
to make a dress; to make a channel; to make a work of art.
2.
to produce; cause to exist or happen; bring about:
to make trouble; to make war.
3.
to cause to be or become; render:
to make someone happy.
4.
to appoint or name:
The president made her his special envoy.
5.
to put in the proper condition or state, as for use; fix; prepare:
to make a bed; to make dinner.
6.
to bring into a certain form:
to make bricks out of clay.
7.
to convert from one state, condition, category, etc., to another:
to make a virtue of one's vices.
8.
to cause, induce, or compel:
to make a horse jump a barrier.
9.
to give rise to; occasion:
It's not worth making a fuss over such a trifle.
10.
to produce, earn, or win for oneself:
to make a good salary; to make one's fortune in oil.
11.
to write or compose:
to make a short poem for the occasion.
12.
to draw up, as a legal document; draft:
to make a will.
13.
to do; effect:
to make a bargain.
14.
to establish or enact; put into existence:
to make laws.
15.
to become by development; prove to be:
You'll make a good lawyer.
16.
to form in the mind, as a judgment or estimate:
to make a decision.
17.
to judge or interpret, as to the truth, nature, meaning, etc. (often followed by of):
What do you make of it?
18.
to estimate; reckon:
to make the distance at ten miles.
19.
to bring together separate parts so as to produce a whole; compose; form:
to make a matched set.
20.
to amount to; bring up the total to:
Two plus two makes four. That makes an even dozen.
21.
to serve as:
to make good reading.
22.
to be sufficient to constitute:
One story does not make a writer.
23.
to be adequate or suitable for:
This wool will make a warm sweater.
24.
to assure the success or fortune of:
a deal that could make or break him; Seeing her made my day.
25.
to deliver, utter, or put forth:
to make a stirring speech.
26.
to go or travel at a particular speed:
to make 60 miles an hour.
27.
to arrive at or reach; attain:
The ship made port on Friday. Do you think he'll make 80?
28.
to arrive in time for:
to make the first show.
29.
to arrive in time to be a passenger on (a plane, boat, bus, train, etc.):
If you hurry, you can make the next flight.
30.
Informal. to gain or acquire a position within:
He made the big time.
31.
to receive mention or appear in or on:
The robbery made the front page.
32.
to gain recognition or honor by winning a place or being chosen for inclusion in or on:
The novel made the bestseller list. He made the all-American team three years in a row.
33.
Slang. to have sexual intercourse with.
34.
Cards.
  1. to name (the trump).
  2. to take a trick with (a card).
  3. Bridge. to fulfill or achieve (a contract or bid).
  4. to shuffle (the cards).
35.
to earn, as a score:
The team made 40 points in the first half.
36.
Slang.
  1. to recognize or identify:
    Any cop in town will make you as soon as you walk down the street.
  2. to charge or cause to be charged with a crime:
    The police expect to make a couple of suspects soon.
37.
to close (an electric circuit).
38.
South Midland and Southern U.S. to plant and cultivate or produce (a crop):
He makes some of the best corn in the country.
verb (used without object), made, making.
39.
to cause oneself, or something understood, to be as specified:
to make sure.
40.
to show oneself to be or seem in action or behavior (usually followed by an adjective):
to make merry.
41.
to be made, as specified:
This fabric makes up into beautiful drapes.
42.
to move or proceed in a particular direction:
They made after the thief.
43.
to rise, as the tide or water in a ship.
44.
South Midland and Southern U.S. (of a crop) to grow, develop, or mature:
It looks like the corn's going to make pretty good this year.
45.
make down, Chiefly Pennsylvania German. to rain or snow:
It's making down hard.
46.
make fast, Chiefly Nautical. to fasten or secure.
47.
make shut, Chiefly Pennsylvania German. to close:
Make the door shut.
noun
48.
the style or manner in which something is made; form; build.
49.
production with reference to the manufacturer; brand:
our own make.
50.
disposition; character; nature.
51.
the act or process of making.
52.
quantity made; output.
53.
Cards. the act of naming the trump, or the suit named as trump.
54.
Electricity. the closing of an electric circuit.
55.
Jewelry. the excellence of a polished diamond with regard to proportion, symmetry, and finish.
56.
Slang. identifying information about a person or thing from police records:
He radioed headquarters for a make on the car's license plate.
Verb phrases
57.
make out,
  1. to write out or complete, as a bill or check.
  2. to establish; prove.
  3. to decipher; discern.
  4. to imply, suggest, or impute:
    He made me out to be a liar.
  5. to manage; succeed:
    How are you making out in your new job?
  6. Slang. to engage in kissing and caressing; neck.
  7. Slang. to have sexual intercourse.
  8. Chiefly Pennsylvania German. to turn off or extinguish (especially a light or fire):
    Make the light out.
58.
make over,
  1. to remodel; alter:
    to make over a dress; to make over a page layout.
  2. to transfer the title of (property); convey:
    After she retired she made over her property to her children and moved to Florida.
59.
make for,
  1. to go toward; approach:
    to make for home.
  2. to lunge at; attack.
  3. to help to promote or maintain:
    This incident will not make for better understanding between the warring factions.
60.
make off,
  1. to run away; depart hastily:
    The only witness to the accident made off before the police arrived.
  2. Nautical. to stand off from a coast, especially a lee shore.
61.
make off with, to carry away; steal:
While the family was away, thieves made off with most of their valuables.
62.
make on, Chiefly Pennsylvania German. to turn on, light, or ignite (especially a light or fire):
Make the light on.
63.
make up,
  1. (of parts) to constitute; compose; form.
  2. to put together; construct; compile.
  3. to concoct; invent.
  4. Also, make up for. to compensate for; make good.
  5. to complete.
  6. to put in order; arrange:
    The maid will make up the room.
  7. to conclude; decide.
  8. to settle amicably, as differences.
  9. to become reconciled, as after a quarrel.
  10. Printing. to arrange set type, illustrations, etc., into columns or pages.
  11. to dress in appropriate costume and apply cosmetics for a part on the stage.
  12. to apply cosmetics.
  13. to adjust or balance, as accounts; prepare, as statements.
  14. Education. to repeat (a course or examination that one has failed).
  15. Education. to take an examination that one had been unable to take when first given, usually because of absence.
  16. to specify and indicate the layout or arrangement of (columns, pages, etc., of matter to be printed).
  17. Atlantic States. (of the weather or clouds) to develop or gather:
    It's making up for a storm.
  18. Atlantic States. (of the sea) to become turbulent:
    If the sea makes up, row toward land.
64.
make up to,
  1. Informal. to try to become friendly with; fawn on.
  2. to make advances to; flirt with:
    He makes up to every new woman in the office.
Idioms
65.
make a play for, to try to get:
He made a play for his brother's girlfriend. They made a play for control of the company's stock.
66.
make as if / as though, Informal. to act as if; pretend:
We will make as if to leave, then come back and surprise him.
67.
make away with,
  1. to steal:
    The clerk made away with the cash and checks.
  2. to destroy; kill:
    He made away with his enemies.
  3. to get rid of.
  4. to consume, drink, or eat completely:
    The boys made away with the contents of the refrigerator.
68.
make believe, to pretend; imagine:
The little girl dressed in a sheet and made believe she was a ghost.
69.
make (so) bold, to have the temerity; be so rash; dare:
May I make so bold as to suggest that you stand when they enter?
70.
make book, Slang.
  1. to take bets and give odds.
  2. to make a business of this.
71.
make colors, Nautical. to hoist an ensign, as on board a warship.
72.
make do, to function, manage, or operate, usually on a deprivation level with minimal requirements:
During the war we had no butter or coffee, so we had to make do without them.
73.
make good,
  1. to provide restitution or reparation for:
    The bank teller made good the shortage and was given a light sentence.
  2. to succeed:
    Talent and training are necessary to make good in some fields.
  3. to fulfill:
    He made good on his promise.
  4. Navigation. to compute (a course) allowing for leeway and compass deviation.
74.
make heavy weather,
  1. Nautical. to roll and pitch in heavy seas.
  2. to progress laboriously; struggle, especially to struggle needlessly:
    I am making heavy weather with my income tax return.
75.
make it,
  1. Informal. to achieve a specific goal:
    to make it to the train; to make it through college.
  2. Informal. to succeed in general:
    He'll never make it in business.
  3. Slang. to have sexual intercourse.
76.
make it so, Nautical. strike the ship's bell accordingly: said by the officer of the watch when the hour is announced.
77.
make like, Informal. to try or pretend to be like; imitate:
I'm going to go out and make like a gardener.
78.
make one's manners, Southern U.S.
  1. to perform an appropriate or expected social courtesy.
  2. Older Use. to bow or curtsy.
79.
make sail, Nautical.
  1. to set sails.
  2. to brace the yards of a ship that has been hove to in order to make headway.
80.
make time. time (def 52).
81.
make water,
  1. to urinate.
  2. Nautical. (of a hull) to leak.
82.
make with, Slang.
  1. to operate; use:
    Let's make with the feet.
  2. to bring about; provide or produce:
    He makes with the big ideas, but can't follow through.
83.
on the make, Informal.
  1. seeking to improve one's social or financial position, usually at the expense of others or of principle.
  2. increasing; advancing.
  3. Slang. seeking amorous or sexual relations:
    The park was swarming with sailors on the make.
84.
put the make on, Slang. to make sexual overtures to.
Origin
before 900; Middle English maken, Old English macian; cognate with Low German, Dutch maken, German machen
Related forms
makable, adjective
Synonyms
1. form; build; produce; fabricate, create, fashion, mold. Make, construct, manufacture mean to produce, to put into definite form, or to put parts together to make a whole. Make is the general term: Bees make wax. Construct, more formal, means to put parts together, usually according to a plan or design: to construct a building. Manufacture usually refers to producing something from material that requires conversion from one state or condition to another, now almost entirely by means of machinery in a relatively complex process: to manufacture automobiles by the assembly of different parts. The term is also often used contemptuously of unimaginative or hackneyed works of art with the implication that the work was produced mechanically, and is used abstractly with the idea of denying genuineness: to manufacture an excuse. 7. transform, change, turn. 8. force. 10. get, gain, acquire, obtain, secure, procure. 13. perform, execute. 18. judge, gauge. 48. shape, structure, construction, constitution.
Antonyms
1. destroy.

do1

[doo; unstressed doo, duh] /du; unstressed dʊ, də/
verb (used with object), present singular 1st person do, 2nd do or (Archaic) doest or dost, 3rd does or (Archaic) doeth or doth, present plural do; past singular 1st person did, 2nd did or (Archaic) didst, 3rd did, past plural did; past participle done; present participle doing.
1.
to perform (an act, duty, role, etc.):
Do nothing until you hear the bell.
2.
to execute (a piece or amount of work):
to do a hauling job.
3.
to accomplish; finish; complete:
He has already done his homework.
4.
to put forth; exert:
Do your best.
5.
to be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect.
6.
to render, give, or pay (homage, justice, etc.).
7.
to deal with, fix, clean, arrange, move, etc., (anything) as the case may require:
to do the dishes.
8.
to travel; traverse:
We did 30 miles today.
9.
to serve; suffice for:
This will do us for the present.
10.
to condone or approve, as by custom or practice:
That sort of thing simply isn't done.
11.
to travel at the rate of (a specified speed):
He was doing 80 when they arrested him.
12.
to make or prepare:
I'll do the salad.
13.
to serve (a term of time) in prison, or, sometimes, in office.
14.
to create, form, or bring into being:
She does wonderful oil portraits.
15.
to translate into or change the form or language of:
MGM did the book into a movie.
16.
to study or work at or in the field of:
I have to do my math tonight.
17.
to explore or travel through as a sightseer:
They did Greece in three weeks.
18.
(used with a pronoun, as it or that, or with a general noun, as thing, that refers to a previously mentioned action):
You were supposed to write thank-you letters; do it before tomorrow, please.
19.
Informal. to wear out; exhaust; tire:
That last set of tennis did me.
20.
Informal. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of:
That crooked dealer did him for $500 at poker.
21.
Informal. to attend or participate in:
Let's do lunch next week.
22.
Slang. to use (a drug or drugs), especially habitually:
The police report said he was doing cocaine.
23.
Slang. to rob; steal from:
The law got him for doing a lot of banks.
24.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sex with.
25.
Informal. (usually in the negative) to act in accordance with expectations associated with (something specified):
Just ignore her insults—she doesn’t do polite.
verb (used without object), present singular 1st person do, 2nd do or (Archaic) doest or dost, 3rd does or (Archaic) doeth or doth, present plural do; past singular 1st person did, 2nd did or (Archaic) didst, 3rd did, past plural did; past participle done; present participle doing.
26.
to act or conduct oneself; be in action; behave.
27.
to proceed:
to do wisely.
28.
to get along; fare; manage:
to do without an automobile.
29.
to be in health, as specified:
Mother and child are doing fine.
30.
to serve or be satisfactory, as for the purpose; be enough; suffice:
Will this do?
31.
to finish or be finished.
32.
to happen; take place; transpire:
What's doing at the office?
33.
(used as a substitute to avoid repetition of a verb or full verb expression):
I think as you do.
auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person do, 2nd do or (Archaic) doest or dost, 3rd does or (Archaic) doeth or doth, present plural do; past singular 1st person did, 2nd did or (Archaic) didst, 3rd did, past plural did; past participle done; present participle doing.
34.
(used in interrogative, negative, and inverted constructions):
Do you like music? I don't care. Seldom do we witness such catastrophes.
35.
Archaic. (used in imperatives with you or thou expressed; and occasionally as a metric filler in verse):
Do thou hasten to the king's side. The wind did blow, the rain did fall.
36.
(used to lend emphasis to a principal verb):
Do visit us!
noun, plural dos, do's.
37.
Informal. a burst of frenzied activity; action; commotion.
38.
Informal. a hairdo or hair styling.
39.
British Slang. a swindle; hoax.
40.
Chiefly British. a festive social gathering; party.
Verb phrases
41.
do by, to deal with; treat:
He had always done well by his family.
42.
do for,
  1. to cause the defeat, ruin, or death of.
  2. Chiefly British. to cook and keep house for; manage or provide for.
43.
do in, Informal.
  1. to kill, especially to murder.
  2. to injure gravely or exhaust; wear out; ruin:
    The tropical climate did them in.
  3. to cheat or swindle:
    He was done in by an unscrupulous broker.
44.
do over, to redecorate.
45.
do up, Informal.
  1. to wrap and tie up.
  2. to pin up or arrange (the hair).
  3. to renovate; launder; clean.
  4. to wear out; tire.
  5. to fasten:
    Do up your coat.
  6. to dress:
    The children were all done up in funny costumes.
46.
do with, to gain advantage or benefit from; make use of:
I could do with more leisure time.
47.
do without,
  1. to forgo; dispense with.
  2. to dispense with the thing mentioned:
    The store doesn't have any, so you'll have to do without.
Idioms
48.
do a number on (someone). number (def 39).
49.
do away with,
  1. to put an end to; abolish.
  2. to kill.
50.
do one proud. proud (def 11).
51.
do one's number. number (def 40).
52.
do one's (own) thing. thing1 (def 19).
53.
do or die, to make a supreme effort.
54.
do out of, Informal. to swindle; cheat:
A furniture store did me out of several hundred dollars.
55.
dos and don'ts, customs, rules, or regulations:
The dos and don'ts of polite manners are easy to learn.
56.
do time, Informal. to serve a term in prison:
It's hard to get a decent job once you've done time.
57.
do to death. death (def 15).
58.
have to do with. have (def 37).
59.
make do, to get along with what is at hand, despite its inadequacy:
I can't afford a new coat so I have to make do with this one.
Origin
before 900; Middle English, Old English dōn; cognate with Dutch doen, German tun; akin to Latin -dere to put, facere to make, do, Greek tithénai to set, put, Sanskrit dadhāti (he) puts
Synonyms
1, 27. act. 3. Do, accomplish, achieve mean to bring some action to a conclusion. Do is the general word: He did a great deal of hard work. Accomplish and achieve both connote successful completion of an undertaking. Accomplish emphasizes attaining a desired goal through effort, skill, and perseverance: to accomplish what one has hoped for. Achieve emphasizes accomplishing something important, excellent, or great: to achieve a major breakthrough.
British Dictionary definitions for make do

do1

/duː; unstressed dʊ; də/
verb does, doing, did, done
1.
to perform or complete (a deed or action): to do a portrait, the work is done
2.
often intr; foll by for. to serve the needs of; be suitable for (a person, situation, etc); suffice: there isn't much food, but it'll do for the two of us
3.
(transitive) to arrange or fix: you should do the garden now
4.
(transitive) to prepare or provide; serve: this restaurant doesn't do lunch on Sundays
5.
(transitive) to make tidy, elegant, ready, etc, as by arranging or adorning: to do one's hair
6.
(transitive) to improve (esp in the phrase do something to or for)
7.
(transitive) to find an answer to (a problem or puzzle)
8.
(transitive) to translate or adapt the form or language of: the book was done into a play
9.
(intransitive) to conduct oneself: do as you please
10.
(intransitive) to fare or manage: how are you doing these days?
11.
(transitive) to cause or produce: complaints do nothing to help
12.
(transitive) to give or render: your portrait doesn't do you justice, do me a favour
13.
(transitive) to work at, esp as a course of study or a profession: he is doing chemistry, what do you do for a living?
14.
(transitive) to perform (a play, etc); act: they are doing ``Hamlet'' next week
15.
(transitive) to travel at a specified speed, esp as a maximum: this car will do 120 mph
16.
(transitive) to travel or traverse (a distance): we did 15 miles on our walk
17.
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before the subject of an interrogative sentence as a way of forming a question: do you agree?, when did John go out?
18.
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary to intensify positive statements and commands: I do like your new house, do hurry!
19.
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary before a negative adverb to form negative statements or commands: he does not like cheese, do not leave me here alone!
20.
(takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary in inverted constructions: little did he realize that, only rarely does he come in before ten o'clock
21.
used as an auxiliary to replace an earlier verb or verb phrase to avoid repetition: he likes you as much as I do
22.
(transitive) (informal) to visit or explore as a sightseer or tourist: to do Westminster Abbey
23.
(transitive) to wear out; exhaust
24.
(intransitive) to happen (esp in the phrase nothing doing)
25.
(transitive) (slang) to serve (a period of time) as a prison sentence: he's doing three years for burglary, he's doing time
26.
(transitive) (informal) to cheat or swindle
27.
(transitive) (slang) to rob: they did three shops last night
28.
(transitive) (slang)
  1. to arrest
  2. to convict of a crime
29.
(transitive) (Austral, informal) to lose or spend (money) completely
30.
(transitive) (slang, mainly Brit) to treat violently; assault
31.
(transitive) (slang) to take or use (a drug)
32.
(transitive) (taboo, slang) (of a male) to have sexual intercourse with
33.
(transitive) to partake in (a meal): let's do lunch
34.
(informal) do, do a, to act like; imitate: he's a good mimic – he can do all his friends well
35.
do or die, to make a final or supreme effort
36.
how do you do?, a conventional formula when being introduced
37.
make do, to manage with whatever is available
noun (pl) dos, do's
38.
(slang) an act or instance of cheating or swindling
39.
(informal, mainly Brit & NZ) a formal or festive gathering; party
40.
(informal) do's and don'ts, those things that should or should not be done; rules
See also do away with, do by, do down, do for, do in, done, do out, do over, do up, do with, do without
Word Origin
Old English dōn; related to Old Frisian duān, Old High German tuon, Latin abdere to put away, Greek tithenai to place; see deed, doom

do2

/dəʊ/
noun (pl) dos
1.
a variant spelling of doh1

do3

abbreviation
1.
Dominican Republic

DO

abbreviation
1.
Doctor of Optometry
2.
Doctor of Osteopathy

make1

/meɪk/
verb (mainly transitive) makes, making, made
1.
to bring into being by shaping, changing, or combining materials, ideas, etc; form or fashion; create: to make a chair from bits of wood, make a poem
2.
to draw up, establish, or form: to make a decision, make one's will
3.
to cause to exist, bring about, or produce: don't make a noise
4.
to cause, compel, or induce: please make him go away
5.
to appoint or assign, as to a rank or position: they made him chairman
6.
to constitute: one swallow doesn't make a summer
7.
(also intransitive) to come or cause to come into a specified state or condition: to make merry, make someone happy
8.
(copula) to be or become through development: he will make a good teacher
9.
to cause or ensure the success of: your news has made my day
10.
to amount to: twelve inches make a foot
11.
to be part of or a member of: did she make one of the party?
12.
to serve as or be suitable for: that piece of cloth will make a coat
13.
to prepare or put into a fit condition for use: to make a bed
14.
to be the essential element in or part of: charm makes a good salesman
15.
to carry out, effect, or do: to make a gesture
16.
(intransitive; foll by to, as if to, or as though to) to act with the intention or with a show of doing something: they made to go out, he made as if to hit her
17.
to use for a specified purpose: I will make this town my base
18.
to deliver or pronounce: to make a speech
19.
to judge, reckon, or give one's own opinion or information as to: what time do you make it?
20.
to cause to seem or represent as being: that furniture makes the room look dark
21.
to earn, acquire, or win for oneself: to make friends, make a fortune
22.
to engage in: make love not war
23.
to traverse or cover (distance) by travelling: we can make a hundred miles by nightfall
24.
to arrive in time for: he didn't make the first act of the play
25.
(cards)
  1. to win a trick with (a specified card)
  2. to shuffle (the cards)
  3. (bridge) to fulfil (a contract) by winning the necessary number of tricks
26.
(cricket) to score (runs)
27.
(electronics) to close (a circuit) permitting a flow of current Compare break (sense 44)
28.
(intransitive) to increase in depth: the water in the hold was making a foot a minute
29.
(intransitive) (of hay) to dry and mature
30.
(informal) to gain a place or position on or in: to make the headlines, make the first team
31.
(informal) to achieve the rank of
32.
(slang) to seduce
33.
make a book, to take bets on a race or other contest
34.
make a day of it, to cause an activity to last a day
35.
make a night of it, to cause an activity to last a night
36.
make do, See do1 (sense 37)
37.
make eyes at, to flirt with or ogle
38.
make good, See good (sense 44)
39.
(nautical) make heavy weather, to roll and pitch in heavy seas
40.
(informal) make heavy weather of something, to carry something out with great difficulty or unnecessarily great effort
41.
make it
  1. (informal) to be successful in doing something
  2. (foll by with) (slang) to have sexual intercourse
  3. (slang) to inject a narcotic drug
42.
(slang, mainly US & Canadian) make like, to imitate
43.
make love
  1. to have sexual intercourse
  2. (archaic) to engage in courtship
44.
make love to someone
  1. to have sexual intercourse with someone
  2. (archaic) to engage in courtship with someone
45.
make or break, to bring success or ruin
46.
make time, See time (sense 45)
47.
make water
  1. another term for urinate
  2. (of a boat, hull, etc) to let in water
noun
48.
brand, type, or style: what make of car is that?
49.
the manner or way in which something is made
50.
disposition or character; make-up
51.
the act or process of making
52.
the amount or number made
53.
(bridge) the contract to be played
54.
(cards) a player's turn to shuffle
55.
on the make
  1. (informal) out for profit or conquest
  2. (slang) in search of a sexual partner
See also make after, make away, make for, make of, make off, make out, make over, make-up, make with
Derived Forms
makable, adjective
Word Origin
Old English macian; related to Old Frisian makia to construct, Dutch maken, German machen to make

make2

/meɪk/
noun (archaic)
1.
a peer or consort
2.
a mate or spouse
Derived Forms
makeless, adjective
Word Origin
Old English gemaca mate; related to match1
Word Origin and History for make do

make

v.

Old English macian "to make, form, construct, do; prepare, arrange, cause; behave, fare, transform," from West Germanic *makon "to fashion, fit" (cf. Old Saxon makon, Old Frisian makia "to build, make," Middle Dutch and Dutch maken, Old High German mahhon "to construct, make," German machen "to make"), from PIE *mag- "to knead, mix; to fashion, fit" (see macerate). If so, sense evolution perhaps is via prehistoric houses built of mud. Gradually replaced the main Old English word, gewyrcan (see work (v.)).

Meaning "to arrive at" (a place), first attested 1620s, originally was nautical. Formerly used in many places where specific verbs now are used, e.g. to make Latin (c.1500) "to write Latin compositions." This broader usage survives in some phrases, e.g. to make water "to urinate," to make a book "arrange a series of bets" (1828), make hay "to turn over mown grass to expose it to sun." Make the grade is 1912, perhaps from the notion of railway engines going up an incline.

Read the valuable suggestions in Dr. C.V. Mosby's book -- be prepared to surmount obstacles before you encounter them -- equipped with the power to "make the grade" in life's climb. [advertisement for "Making the Grade," December 1916]
But the phrase also was in use in a schoolwork context at the time. Make do "manage with what is available" is attested from 1867. Make time "go fast" is 1849; make tracks in this sense is from 1834. To make a federal case out of (something) popularized in 1959 movie "Anatomy of a Murder;" to make an offer (one) can't refuse is from Mario Puzo's 1969 novel "The Godfather." To make (one's) day is from 1909; menacing make my day is from 1971, popularized by Clint Eastwood in film "Sudden Impact" (1983). Related: Made; making.

n.

"match, mate, companion" (now archaic or dialectal), from Old English gemaca "mate, equal; one of a pair, comrade; consort, husband, wife," from Proto-Germanic *gamakon-, related to Old English gemæcc "well-matched, suitable," macian "to make" (see make (v.)). Meaning "manner in which something is made, design, construction" is from c.1300. Phrase on the make "intent on profit or advancement" is from 1869.

do

v.

Middle English do, first person singular of Old English don "make, act, perform, cause; to put, to place," from West Germanic *don (cf. Old Saxon duan, Old Frisian dua, Dutch doen, Old High German tuon, German tun), from PIE root *dhe- "to put, place, do, make" (see factitious).

Use as an auxiliary began in Middle English. Periphrastic form in negative sentences ("They did not think") replaced the Old English negative particles ("Hie ne wendon"). Slang meaning "to do the sex act with or to" is from 1913. Expression do or die is attested from 1620s. Cf. does, did, done.

n.

first (and last) note of the diatonic scale, by 1754, from do, used as a substitution for ut (see gamut) for sonority's sake, first in Italy and Germany. U.S. slang do-re-mi "money" is from 1920s, probably a pun on dough in its slang sense of "cash."

Slang definitions & phrases for make do

make

noun
  1. Positive identification: The woman gave us a make on the guy who slugged her
  2. A person regarded merely as a sex partner; lay: an easy make (1918+)
verb
  1. To rob; steal; heist (1700+ Underworld)
  2. To recognize or identify; make an identification: The dealer-suspect ''made'' (i e, correctly identified) one of the staked-out 53 cars/ He made me the minute he saw me (1906+ Underworld & police)
  3. To understand; grasp; dig: I don't make you, kid. What did the boy do? (1912+)
  4. o bring fame, success, wealth, etc: That one show made her (1460+)
  5. To do the sex act with; lay, screw: Not only is the King in love with me, but the Queen tried to make me too/ in the sense of ''making'' handsome men (1918+)
  6. To arrive at; hit: We'll never make Padanaram before dark (1624+)
  7. To defecate; dump, shit (1950s+)
  8. To initiate one into the Mafia: The purpose of a particular meeting had been to make us ''to incorporate individuals as new members of the family'' (1960s+)
  9. also make up)To shuffle playing cards: Peter made the cards and handed them to Stern to deal
Related Terms

easy make, on the make, on the take, put the make on someone, run a make


do

noun
  1. A party or other gathering; affair; shindig: a few of the other main do's/ The Tweed do was held early last December (1824+)
  2. (also doo) A haircut or styling: Your hair, your doo/ Yuppie bikers favor short fashionboy dos or neat ponytails (1960s + Black)
  3. Excrement; feces: I stepped in doggy-do: A children's term, perhaps first used in dog-do or doggy-do (1920s+)
  4. Something one should do or must do: Always in the phrase dos and don'ts: Being friendly is a do, but being possessive is a don't
verb
  1. To cheat; swindle: He is hated by all the beggars above him, and they do him every chance they get (1641+)
  2. To eat or drink; partake of: The dated sense has to do mainly with drinks; the revived sense is usually in the phrase do lunch: That was where I'd be ''doing lunch'' with Mark Bradley/ The expressions ''doing lunch'' and ''fun'' lead the llth annual list of ''banished words'' (1853+)
  3. To use or take narcotics: Hell, half the people doing blow are reacting to the cut/ I'd wonder why and do another line. But I never looked at it as if I were some big drug addict (1960s + Narcotics)
  4. To serve a prison sentence: He did six years up at San Quentin (1860s+)
  5. To visit; make the rounds of: Shall we do Provence this summer? (1888+)
  6. To kill; do to death; rub out: The guy she's having cocktails with is the one who done her?/ I'm the guy doing these colored girls (1350+)
  7. To do the sex with or to; boff, fuck: Heidi Does Hollywood (1913+)
Related Terms

do someone dirt, do-gooder, do it all, do one's number, doodad, do-rag, do one's stuff, do time, do up, do something up brown, whoop-de-do


Related Abbreviations for make do

DO

  1. defense order
  2. dissolved oxygen
  3. Doctor of Optometry
  4. Doctor of Osteopathy
Idioms and Phrases with make do

make do

Get along with the means available, especially insufficient means. For example, We'll just have to make do with one potato apiece. [ c. 1900 ]

make

also see:
also see under:
made