Make is a wonderfully versatile word that appears everywhere in English.

At its heart, make means to create or build something. You might make a sandwich for lunch, make a fort out of couch cushions, or make a drawing for your grandmother. Engineers make bridges, authors make stories, and composers make music. When you make something, you're bringing it into existence through your effort and skill.

Make also describes causing something to happen or forcing a particular outcome. A funny movie makes you laugh. Your parents might make you clean your room. A coach makes the team run laps. Here, make shows power or influence: one thing causes or compels another.

The word appears in countless phrases that each add a specific meaning. When you make up with a friend, you're reconciling after an argument. When you make do with what you have, you're managing despite limitations. To make sense of something means to understand it. To make it means to succeed or arrive on time. Make-believe means pretending, while making sure means checking carefully.

You'll also see make as a noun referring to a brand or type: “What make of car is that?” This usage identifies who manufactured something.