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
Trump and Biden are running for President in an era of infinite expressivity, a time in which words themselves are cheap, sluicing around the Internet, dribbling from humans as well as bots and A.I. programs: words of uncertain truth-value, words that sometimes don’t even make sense.
—
Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 26 June 2024
Two years later, the archaeologists are still trying to make sense of it.
—Jo Marchant, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2024
While Ruth is eager to make sense of her family’s past, Edek embarks on the trip with his own agenda as the two New Yorkers explore post-socialist Poland.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 June 2024
Helping parents make sense of pandemic health rules During COVID, families were often told: If your child seems sick, keep them home.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for make sense 
Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 26 June 2024
Two years later, the archaeologists are still trying to make sense of it.
—Jo Marchant, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2024
While Ruth is eager to make sense of her family’s past, Edek embarks on the trip with his own agenda as the two New Yorkers explore post-socialist Poland.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 June 2024
Helping parents make sense of pandemic health rules During COVID, families were often told: If your child seems sick, keep them home.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 14 June 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 4 Jul. 2024.
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