Standard Lemma guide

making

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

/ˈmeɪkɪŋ/
Northumbria: /ˈmɛkɪn/
Wearside: /ˈmækɪn/
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪkɪŋ
CMU ARPABET: M EY1 K IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

noun

Meaning 1

The act of forming, causing, or constituting; workmanship; construction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 2

Process of growth or development.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

As a child, he didn’t seem like a genius in the making.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

verb

Meaning 3

present participle and gerund of make

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

Examples

1981, Earliest Usenet use via Google Groups - fa.human-nets, 10 May 1981 09:16-EDT, Robert Elton Maas Soon (30 years?) we'll be making complete DNA and life in reverse, growing food that only reversed creatures cn eat.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 4

the act that results in something coming to be

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

the devising of plans
the fashioning of pots and pans
the making of measurements
it was already in the making

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: devising, fashioning

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: production

Narrower terms: mapmaking, cartography, moviemaking, movie making, film making

noun

Meaning 5

(usually plural) the components needed for making or doing something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

the recipe listed all the makings for a chocolate cake

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: component, constituent, element

noun

Meaning 6

an attribute that must be met or complied with and that fits a person for something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

her qualifications for the job are excellent
one of the qualifications for admission is an academic degree
she has the makings of fine musician

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: qualification

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fitness, fittingness

Narrower terms: eligibility, ineligibility

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Old English macung Middle English making English making From Middle English making, from Old English macung (“making”), equivalent to make + -ing. Cognate with dated Dutch making (“making”), Old High German machunga.

From make + -ing.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

Finnish: tekeminen — act — see also workmanship, construction
Galician: feitura — act — see also workmanship, construction
German: Anfertigen — act — see also workmanship, construction
German: Anfertigung — act — see also workmanship, construction
German: Fabrikation — act — see also workmanship, construction
German: Herstellung — act — see also workmanship, construction
Ancient Greek: ποίησις (poíēsis) — act — see also workmanship, construction
Hindi: सृजन (sŕjan) — act — see also workmanship, construction
Northern Kurdish: çêkirin — act — see also workmanship, construction
Latin: factūra — act — see also workmanship, construction
Sanskrit: कृति (kṛti) — act — see also workmanship, construction
Spanish: hacimiento — act — see also workmanship, construction
Spanish: facimiento (desus.) — act — see also workmanship, construction
Spanish: hechura — act — see also workmanship, construction
Spanish: fechura (disused) — act — see also workmanship, construction
Turkish: etme — act — see also workmanship, construction
Turkish: yapma — act — see also workmanship, construction

Word forms

Inflections and variants

makings — plural
makeing — alternative, obsolete
makin — alternative, Durham, Wearside, dialectal
makkin — alternative, Durham, Wearside, dialectal
makin' — alternative, pronunciation-spelling
mekin — alternative, pronunciation-spelling
myekin — alternative, Geordie, dialectal

Word family

Derived and related words

Derived: artmaking, automaking, babymaking, badgemaking, bagmaking, barrelmaking, basketmaking, beadmaking, bedmaking, beermaking, bellmaking, beltmaking, blanketmaking, blockmaking, boatmaking, boilermaking, boltmaking, bombmaking, bookmaking, bootmaking, bottlemaking, bowlmaking, bowmaking, boxmaking, breadmaking, brickmaking, bronzemaking, broommaking, brushmaking, brush-making, bucketmaking, bulletmaking, buttonmaking, cabinetmaking, cabinet making, cakemaking, candlemaking, candymaking, capmaking, cardmaking, carmaking, carpetmaking, carriagemaking, cartmaking, casemaking, chainmaking, chairmaking, changemaking, cheesemaking, chipmaking, cidermaking, cigarmaking, cloakmaking, clockmaking, clogmaking, clothesmaking, clothmaking, coachmaking, codemaking, coffee making, coffeemaking, coffinmaking, coinmaking, collarmaking, colormaking, combmaking, cordmaking, coremaking, corsetmaking, couchmaking, coupmaking, cradlemaking, craftmaking, cratemaking, crazymaking, cringemaking, cringe-making, cupmaking, dancemaking, dealmaking, deathmaking, decision-making, decision making, demomaking, difference-making, dishmaking, dollmaking, doormaking, doughmaking, dressmaking, drinkmaking, edgemaking, epochmaking, epoch-making, facemaking, fanmaking, feltmaking, fictionmaking, filemaking, filmmaking, film making, firemaking, flagmaking, friendmaking, game-making, gardenmaking, garmentmaking, glassmaking, globemaking, glovemaking, gluemaking, gownmaking, grantmaking, gunmaking, hatmaking, haymaking, hedgemaking, history-making, hitmaking, holidaymaking, home-making, homemaking, honeymaking, hookmaking, hot-making, housemaking, hurdlemaking, icemaking, inkmaking, in the making, ironmaking, kiltmaking, kingmaking, kitemaking, knifemaking, lacemaking, lampmaking, leathermaking, lensmaking, listmaking, lockmaking, loss-making, love-making, love making, lovemaking, lunchmaking, lustmaking, lutemaking, making-iron, making of, making-of, mantuamaking, mapmaking, mark-making, matchmaking, match-making, matmaking, mediamaking, merry-making, merrymaking, metalmaking, mischiefmaking, modelmaking, moneymaking, money-making, moviemaking, musicmaking, mythmaking, nail-making, needlemaking, nestmaking, netmaking, newsmaking, noisemaking, oddsmaking, of one's making, of one's own making, opinionmaking, pacemaking, pain-making, paintmaking, papermaking, pastrymaking, patternmaking, peacemaking, pencilmaking, penmaking, phrasemaking, picking quarrels and making trouble, piemaking, pinmaking, placemaking, platemaking, playmaking, policy-making, policymaking, potmaking, pouchmaking, pricemaking, printmaking, profitmaking, pursemaking, quiltmaking, racemaking, rainmaking, ratemaking, razormaking, rimmaking, ringmaking, roadmaking, robemaking, ropemaking, rugmaking, rulemaking, sackmaking, safemaking, sailmaking, saltmaking, saucemaking, sausagemaking, sausage-making, sausage making, sawmaking, sensemaking, shirtmaking, shoemaking, shotmaking, shovelmaking, slavemaking, slave-making ant, sleevemaking, snowmaking, soapmaking, songmaking, sparmaking, spearmaking, spectaclemaking, speechmaking, spellmaking, spoonmaking, springmaking, spurmaking, starmaking, steelmaking, steel-making, stencilmaking, stoolmaking, stovemaking, sugarmaking, suitmaking, sweetmaking, swordmaking, tablemaking, taffymaking, tallowmaking, tankmaking, tapemaking, tapermaker, tasselmaking, tastemaking, teamaking, tentmaking, theatremaking, thimblemaking, threadmaking, tiemaking, tilemaking, toolmaking, topmaking, torchmaking, toymaking, trapmaking, treatymaking, troublemaking, truckmaking, trunkmaking, truthmaking, tubemaking, tubmaking, twinemaking, vasemaking, veilmaking, versemaking, videomaking, violinmaking, violmaking, vowmaking, wagonmaking, waremaking, watchmaking, waxmaking, waymaking, wealthmaking, weaponmaking, weathermaking, wellmaking, wheelmaking, whipmaking, wickmaking, wigmaking, willmaking, windowmaking, winemaking, wiremaking, wordmaking, worldmaking, wreathmaking

Related: maker, make

Spelling and sound

Hyphenation and homophones

Hyphenation: mak·ing

Semantic map

Other relationships

Hypernyms: production, component, constituent, element, fitness, fittingness

Hyponyms: mapmaking, cartography, moviemaking, movie making, film making, eligibility, ineligibility

Sources

Where this information comes from

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Real reading context

Meaning relationships

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