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Glite Dictionary
✨ To cause ➡️ To go toward
to make for

to make for

16 3.0
Move toward a place
  • phrasal verb
  • /meɪk fɔr/
translation icon : dirigirse a
  • Everyone quickly made for the exit when the fire alarm rang.

Examples

Synonyms

to head
vsto make for
∞ 1.0

To move in a particular direction, often toward a place

focuses only on moving toward a target, not being at the front
to head to
vsto make for
618 1.8

Go toward a place or destination

is used for general movement toward something rather than a named destination

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

to turn away
94 2.3

Move your body so you do not face someone or something

How Fast

to dash
73 1.0
to rush
548 1.0
to make for
16 3.0
to head to
618 1.8

Surface Forms

make for infinitive
made for past
made for past participle
making for present participle
makes for third person singular

Morphology

make + for

The sense 'to move toward' is partially inferable because a learner could plausibly interpret 'make' as 'go/produce motion' and construe 'for' as indicating direction or target, yielding a directional reading. However, 'make' is not primarily a motion verb and 'for' more commonly marks purpose or beneficiary, so the specific directional phrasal meaning is not fully predictable without prior exposure, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Make for comes from the simple image of moving toward a place: to make a way for somewhere is to go in that direction, like someone who 'makes for' the exit when a fire alarm rings. So it now means 'to move toward' or 'head for' a place.