Word.ws English Dictionary

make something of

make something of verb: to transform (an object or person) into something worthwhile.

Verb

make something of (third-person singular simple present makes something of, present participle making something of, simple past and past participle made something of)

  1. To transform (an object or person) into something worthwhile.
    • My thousand a year is not merely a matter of dirty bank-notes and jaundiced guineas. […] I was determined to make something of it better than a fine old house to live in, than satin gowns to wear; […]1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Further Communications on Business”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 52
    • "A wife might make something of you."1922, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 8, in The Girl on the Boat
  2. To develop an understanding or interpretation of.
    • We couldn't make anything of his last remark.
    • No doubt your head aches, trying to make something of my description.1860, Oliver Wendell Holmes, chapter 8, in The Professor at the Breakfast Table
  3. To insist on or emphatically challenge (a point or topic, especially one which may be a subject of disagreement).
    • He's controversial. He's blunt. He could be a good New Yorker. That's my opinion. You wanna make something of it?1996 August 21, George Vecsey, “Does Reeves Entertain Death Wish?”, in New York Times, retrieved 05 Sep 2018

Forms of make something of

third-person singular presentmakes something of
present participlemaking something of
past participlemade something of
pastmade something of

Questions about make something of

What does make something of mean?
Make something of means to transform (an object or person) into something worthwhile.
What part of speech is make something of?
Make something of is a verb.
What is the past tense of make something of?
The past tense of make something of is made something of.

Words near make something of in the dictionary

  1. make someone's skin crawl
  2. make someone's skin creep
  3. make someone's teeth itch
  4. make someone's toenails curl
  5. make someone's toes curl
  6. make something of
  7. make something of oneself
  8. make sport of
  9. make strange
  10. make streaks
  11. make strides

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: make something of (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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