make sense
idiom
1
: to have a clear meaning : to be easy to understand
We read the recommendations and thought they made (perfect) sense.
The instructions don't make any sense (at all).
The instructions make no sense (at all).
You're not making much sense (to me).
2
: to be reasonable
It makes sense to leave early to avoid traffic.
It makes little/no sense to continue.
Why would he do such an awful thing? It makes no sense (to me).
Examples of make sense in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At a time when many Seventies artists struggled to make sense of this new era filled with synths and drum machines, Young hurdled forward, never once letting his rock power waver.
—
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2024
Their outrage is well warranted—but their arguments don’t always make sense or substantively help defend humanity.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2024
As scientists tried to make sense of dinosaur and mastodon bones and the stark geological evidence of immense, long-ago perturbations in the Earth’s lands and waters, different schools of thought emerged.
—Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Many struggled to make sense of the relationship’s end, which often happens in instances of unexpected loss.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for make sense 
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2024
Their outrage is well warranted—but their arguments don’t always make sense or substantively help defend humanity.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2024
As scientists tried to make sense of dinosaur and mastodon bones and the stark geological evidence of immense, long-ago perturbations in the Earth’s lands and waters, different schools of thought emerged.
—Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Many struggled to make sense of the relationship’s end, which often happens in instances of unexpected loss.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for make sense
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'make sense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near make sense
Cite this Entry
“Make sense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20sense. Accessed 21 Sep. 2024.
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