Phrases & Expressions

To attract a lot of attention or become popular quickly.

• Nicole's beautiful cousin from Santo Domingo made a splash at the high school dance.
• Those new jeans really made a splash — all the kids are wearing them.

To do something to show you are sorry for a mistake or for hurting someone.

• I'll make amends for breaking your vase.
• He tried to make amends by helping her move.

To land an aircraft suddenly because of a problem.

• The plane had to make an emergency landing due to bad weather.
• The pilot managed to make an emergency landing safely.

To pretend that something is true, especially as a game.

• The children love to make believe they are superheroes.
• Let's make believe we're on a pirate ship.

To use what you already have and repair things instead of buying new ones.

• In tough times, we must make do and mend.
• Her grandmother taught her to make do and mend.

To manage to live or do something with the limited things that are available.

• We had to make do with what we had.
• She made do with a simple meal.

To do something nice for someone because you have upset or disappointed that person.

• I'll make it up to you with a nice dinner.
• He bought her flowers to make it up to her.

to change or improve the appearance of something or someone completely

• They made over the old house.
• The stylist made her over for the show.

To stop feeling guilty about eating and stop treating some foods as forbidden.

• After years of dieting, she decided to make peace with food.
• Making peace with food means eating what you want.

To do as well as possible in a difficult or unpleasant situation.

• We have to make the best of it.
• The weather is bad, but we'll make the best of it.