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making
/ˈmeɪkɪŋ/
The word 'making' is the present participle of the verb 'make'. It is very commonly used to describe an ongoing action. For example, 'She is making dinner right now.' It can also be used as a gerund, functioning like a noun, such as in 'Making mistakes is normal.' Be aware that 'make' is an irregular verb, so its past tense is 'made' and its past participle is also 'made' (e.g., 'She made dinner yesterday.'). 'Making' is a very versatile word with many meanings, so the context is crucial for understanding its exact sense. It can refer to physical creation, causing something to happen, earning money, arriving somewhere, or becoming something else.
Meanings
Causing something to happen or exist.
"The noise is making me angry."
Earning money.
"He is making a lot of money."
Becoming or turning into something.
"The milk is making me sick."
Collocations & Compounds
making a living
Earning enough money to support oneself.
He spends his days making a living as a musician.
making an effort
Trying hard to achieve something.
She's making an effort to be more punctual.
making a decision
Choosing between different options.
It's time for us to start making a decision.
making progress
Moving forward or developing.
The team is making good progress on the project.
making sense
Being logical or understandable.
His explanation is finally making sense.
Phrasal Verbs
make up
To invent something, like a story or an excuse.
He was making up excuses for being late.
make out
To see, hear, or understand something with difficulty.
I can't make that sign out from here.
make for
To move towards a place.
They were making for the exit as fast as possible.
make of
To understand or have an opinion about something.
What do you think of this new policy they are making of?
Idioms & Sayings
making waves
Causing trouble or disruption.
He's always making waves at work with his ideas.
making ends meet
Having just enough money to pay for the things that you need.
It's hard making ends meet on a low salary.
making a mountain out of a molehill
Exaggerating the importance of a small problem.
Stop making a mountain out of a molehill; it's just a small scratch.
making a killing
Making a large profit very quickly.
They are making a killing in the stock market.
making a scene
Behaving in a loud or embarrassing way in public.
She started making a scene when they refused her entry.
Etymology
The word 'making' is the present participle of the verb 'make'. The verb 'make' itself has a long and rich history, tracing its roots back to Proto-Germanic 'makōną' meaning 'to shape, prepare, make'. This, in turn, likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root 'magh-', which conveyed the sense of 'to be able, to have power'. In Old English, the verb was 'macian', which meant 'to form, construct, cause to be, bring about, prepare, appoint, compel, reach, attain'. It was a very common and versatile verb, used in a wide range of contexts, from the physical creation of objects to the more abstract causation of events or states of being. The transition from 'macian' to 'make' involved typical sound changes over centuries. The '-ian' suffix, common in Old English verbs, was gradually lost. The pronunciation evolved, leading to the modern form. Throughout its history, 'make' has retained its core sense of creation and causation. It has also absorbed or replaced other verbs with similar meanings, contributing to its broad semantic range. The present participle form, 'making', developed as a way to express ongoing or continuous action related to 'making'. It is used to form the present continuous tense (e.g., 'I am making dinner') and as a gerund (e.g., 'Making friends is important').