MAKE Phrasal Verbs in English: Meanings and Examples

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A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word (a particle) that together make a new meaning. The verb make forms many useful phrasal verbs, and the particle changes the meaning each time: make up, make out, make for, make do, and more.

This guide is for B1 to C1 learners who want to understand and use the most common make phrasal verbs in real conversation. By the end you will know what each one means, see an example of each, learn which ones can be separated by an object, and avoid the mistakes learners make most. Three exercises are on this page so you can practice straight away.

On this page

Quick video summary
What a phrasal verb is
MAKE phrasal verbs with examples
The many meanings of make out
Separable or not
Common mistakes
Practice exercises
FAQ
Key takeaways

A quick video summary

What a phrasal verb is

A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle (an adverb or a preposition) to form a single expression. The particle often changes the meaning of the verb completely, so you cannot work out the meaning by translating each word on its own. "Make up a story" has nothing to do with the normal meaning of "make."

This is why many learners get confused: they translate "make" and "up" separately, and the result makes no sense. The trick is to learn the whole phrase as one unit of meaning. Note that make is an irregular verb: make, made, made.

The most useful MAKE phrasal verbs, with examples

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
make up	to invent a story; to put on cosmetics; to become friends again after an argument	He made up an excuse. / They argued but soon made up.
make up your mind	to make a decision	Hurry up and make up your mind.
make out	to manage or progress; to see or hear something with difficulty; (informal) to kiss	I can't make out his handwriting.
make for	to head towards; to produce a result	They made for the exit. / Good habits make for a healthy life.
make do	to manage with something less than ideal	We had no rice, so we made do with pasta.
make of	to understand or have an opinion about	What do you make of the new manager?
make off	to leave in a hurry	The thieves made off before the police arrived.
make off with	to steal something and leave	Someone made off with my umbrella.
make away with	(informal) to steal something	The robbers made away with the safe.
make into	to change something into something else	They made the garage into a studio.
make over	to change the appearance of a person or place	The team made over the tired old kitchen.
make it	to arrive, or to succeed	Sorry, I can't make it tonight.
make it up to someone	to do something good to compensate for a problem you caused	I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you.
make after	to chase someone or something	The dog made after the cat.

Phrasal verbs are easy to read and hard to use. The only way they become natural is to use them in conversation. Book a free trial lesson and practice make phrasal verbs with an experienced native teacher, no credit card needed.

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The many meanings of "make out"

Some phrasal verbs have several meanings, so the context tells you which one is meant. "Make out" is a good example.

Meaning	Example
to see or hear something with difficulty	I could just make out a figure in the fog.
to manage or progress	How did you make out at the interview?
to claim or pretend something is true	He makes out that he is an expert.
(informal) to kiss someone	They were making out in the back row.

Separable or not: where the object goes

Some make phrasal verbs are separable: the object can go after the phrase or in the middle. When the object is a pronoun (it, them, you), it must go in the middle.

Separable: make up, make out, make over, make into. "He made up a story" or "He made it up" (not "made up it").
Inseparable: make for, make of, make off with, make away with, make after, make do. The object always stays after the phrase: "What do you make of it?"

Common mistakes with MAKE phrasal verbs

Translating word by word. "Make up" is not "make" plus "up." Learn the whole phrase as one meaning.
Putting a pronoun after a separable verb. Wrong: "He made up it." Right: "He made it up."
Confusing similar verbs. "Make off" means leave quickly; "make off with" and "make away with" mean steal. "Make for" can mean head towards or produce a result.
Using the wrong form of make. Make is irregular: make, made, made. "He maked up a story" is wrong; use "made up."

Practice exercises on MAKE phrasal verbs

Exercise 1. Select the correct phrasal verb in brackets to complete each sentence.

Exercise 2. Decide which phrasal verb of make fits best in each sentence.

Exercise 3. Choose the right particle: up, out, off or into.

Quick self-check

Choose the right make phrasal verb, then reveal the answers.

1. I couldn't ____ what the sign said in the dark. (see with difficulty)
2. We had no spare room, so we had to ____ with the sofa. (manage with less)
3. Stop changing your answer and ____ ! (decide)

Show answers

1. make out. 2. make do. 3. make up your mind.

How did that feel? Recognising a phrasal verb in an exercise is one thing. Reaching for the right one while you speak is the goal. In a free trial lesson, an experienced native teacher will have you using make phrasal verbs in real sentences within minutes.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a particle (an adverb or preposition) that together form a new meaning, such as make up or make out. The particle often changes the meaning of the verb completely, so you learn the whole phrase as one unit rather than translating each word.

What does "make up" mean?

Make up has several meanings: to invent a story ("He made up an excuse"), to become friends again after an argument ("They argued but made up"), and to put on cosmetics. "Make up your mind" means to make a decision.

What does "make out" mean?

Make out can mean to see or hear something with difficulty ("I can't make out his handwriting"), to manage or progress ("How did you make out at the interview?"), to claim or pretend, and informally to kiss someone. The context tells you which meaning is intended.

What is the difference between make off, make off with and make away with?

Make off means to leave in a hurry. Make off with and make away with both mean to steal something and leave with it. "The thieves made off" focuses on leaving; "they made off with the cash" adds what they stole.

Are make phrasal verbs separable?

Some are. Make up, make out, make over and make into are separable, so the object can go in the middle, and a pronoun must go in the middle ("make it up," not "make up it"). Others like make for, make of and make off with are inseparable, so the object stays after the phrase.

Key takeaways

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle with a new, combined meaning.
Learn the whole phrase, do not translate make and the particle separately.
The most common ones: make up, make out, make for, make do, make of, make off with.
Many make phrasal verbs have more than one meaning, so context decides.
With separable verbs, a pronoun object goes in the middle: make it up, make it out.

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Written and reviewed by the experienced native English teachers at Live English, online since 2007.