Dictionary

make sense en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• (Mid-Atlantic, US) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To be sensible, coherent, reasonable.
   • Hendy has come out as something of an evangelist for discontinuous electrification. For Waterloo-Exeter, this could make real sense on a route where the high capital cost of wiring or third rail all the way to Devon would be prohibitive. But what about his vocal support for it on East West Rail, which is effectively a brand new line? 2025 February 19, Paul Clifton, “I am absolutely committed to reforming the railway”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 41:
   • The thing doesn’t make sense to me.
   • I was in your arms Thinking I belonged there I figured it made sense Building me a fence 1980, ABBA, “The Winner Takes It All”:
   • Of course you're not coming over / Snap out of it / You're not making any sense 2002, Frou Frou, “Psychobabble”, in Details:
   • Somehow the combination didn’t make sense, but Cranston took it at face value, whatever that was worth.
2. (idiomatic, intransitive, with-of) To decipher or understand.
   • Can you make sense of her handwriting?
3. (informal) Used to express interest or desire in something; to be pleasing or beneficial; to work, be operative, or be advantageous to.
   • Maybe we should take a break. I mean, our relationship just isn't making much sense anymore.
4. (qualifier:generally negated, slang) To be in the realm of the ordinary, to be not particularly developed.
   • If you want to grow spinal erectors that don’t make sense, you have to do a lot of bent-over compound lifts.

Forms

Antonyms

absurd · ridiculous

Descendants

meika sens · Sinn machen · sense maken · mejka sense

Synonyms

figure · make head or tail of · add up · track · check out

Translations (86)

nl hout snijden (to be coherent) · hu logikus (to be coherent) · fi saada selvää (to decipher, understand) · gd dèan tuigse (to be coherent) · cs dávat smysl (to be coherent) · nb begripe (to decipher, understand) · bg има смисъл (to be coherent) · fi käydä järkeen (to be coherent) · hu értelmes (to be coherent) · es cobrar sentido (to be coherent) · hu kihámoz (to decipher, understand) · de Sinn machen (to be coherent) · de verstehen (to decipher, understand) · pl odczytać (to decipher, understand) · fa قابل فهم (to be coherent) · ca tenir sentit (to be coherent) · sv vara begriplig (to be coherent) · de sinnvoll sein (to be coherent) · pl kleić się (to be coherent) · ru понима́ть (to decipher, understand) · it dare un senso (to decipher, understand) · nb tyde (to decipher, understand) · sv verka/låta/kännas/vara vettig (to be coherent) · fr avoir du sens (to be coherent) · nl ontcijferen (to decipher, understand) · it decifrare (to decipher, understand) · nn gi mening (to be coherent) · cmn 有道理 (to be coherent) · eo havi sencon (to be coherent) · fr faire sens (to be coherent) · nl betekenisvol zijn (to be coherent) · ro a avea sens (to be coherent) · tr mantıklı (to be coherent) · de Sinn ergeben (to be coherent) · ga ciall a bheith le (to be coherent) · de schlau werden aus (to decipher, understand) · de begreifen (to decipher, understand) · pl zgadzać się (to be coherent) · fi olla järkeä (to be coherent) · es ser lógico (to be coherent) · pdt Senn haben (to be coherent) · ga ciall a bhaint as (to decipher, understand) · cmn 懂得 (to decipher, understand) · sv begripa (to decipher, understand) · da give mening (to be coherent) · de Sinn geben (to be coherent) · sv få rätsida på (to decipher, understand) · ca fer sentit (to be coherent) · ru име́ть смысл (to be coherent) · hu érthető (to be coherent) · nl verstaan (to decipher, understand) · tr anlaşılabilir (to decipher, understand) · pl trzymać się kupy (to be coherent) · ru поня́тно (to be coherent) · sv gå ihop (to be coherent) · sv få grepp om (to decipher, understand) · sv tyda (to decipher, understand) · nl steek houden (to be coherent) · cmn 理解 (to decipher, understand) · cmn 有意義 /有意义 (to be coherent) · pt fazer sentido (to be coherent) · fr tenir debout (to be coherent) · it capire (to decipher, understand) · nb forstå (to decipher, understand) · ja 意味が通る (to be coherent) · es hacer sentido (to be coherent) · sv förstå (to decipher, understand) · sv rimla (to be coherent) · cy gwneud synnwyr (to be coherent) · ru разбира́ть (to decipher, understand) · ast tener sentíu (to be coherent) · hu van értelme (to be coherent) · nl kloppen (to be coherent) · nl zinvol zijn (to be coherent) · pt entender (to decipher, understand) · nn gjeva meining (to be coherent) · nl snappen (to decipher, understand) · it avere senso (to be coherent) · ru быть поня́тным (to be coherent) · ja 意味する (to be coherent) · es tener sentido (to be coherent) · sv mejka sense (to be coherent) · ja 納得する (to decipher, understand) · pl odczytywać (to decipher, understand) · sv bli klok på (to decipher, understand) · pl mieć sens (to be coherent)