making

noun

mak·​ing ˈmā-kiŋ How to pronounce making (audio)
1
: the act or process of forming, causing, doing, or coming into being
spots problems in the making
2
: a process or means of advancement or success
3
: something made
especially : a quantity produced at one time : batch
4
a
: potentiality
often used in plural
had the makings of a great artist
b
makings ˈmā-kənz How to pronounce making (audio)
ˈmā-kiŋz
plural : the material from which something is to be made
especially \ usually  ˈmā-​kənz \ : paper and tobacco for rolling cigarettes by hand

Examples of making in a Sentence

methods used in the making of wine she has all the makings of an excellent leader, but she needs some experience first
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency as well as NIH and NSF grant making are disrupting scientific research. Kwasi Osei-Amankwah, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025 Take, for instance, the voice-over in this new trailer, which sounds right out of the mid-aughts and/or a Saturday Night Live digital short making fun of trailers from the mid-aughts. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 8 May 2025 He was never meant to be an offensive defenceman, but Schenn also has stood out for a lack of incisive decision making at the offensive blue line, especially when the Jets are chasing the game. Murat Ates, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025 The four-part Investigation Discovery series The Fall of Diddy looks into the making and unmaking of the producer-performer-entrepreneur, revealing a history of alleged abusive and destructive behavior by Combs that dates to the late 1980s. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 26 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for making

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English macung, from macian to make

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of making was in the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Making.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/making. Accessed 17 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

making

noun
mak·​ing
ˈmā-kiŋ
1
: the act of forming, causing, doing, or coming into being
spots problems in the making
2
: a process or means of advancement or success
3
: material from which something can be developed : potentiality
there is the making of a racehorse in this colt
often used in plural
has the makings of a great quarterback
4
plural : the materials from which something can be made

More from Merriam-Webster on making

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