make for

English

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Verb

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

1. (idiomatic) To set out to go (somewhere); to move towards.

   Synonym: head for

   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     He makes for England, there to claim the crown.

   • 1888, J[ames] M[atthew] Barrie, “The Schoolhouse”, in Auld Licht Idylls, London: Hodder and Stoughton, , →OCLC, page 6:

     [H]e disappeared into his house much as a startled weasel makes for its hole.

2. (idiomatic) To tend to produce or result in.
   • 1914, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 11, in The Pirate of Panama:

     It was such a day as one dreams about, with that pleasant warmth in the air that makes for indolent content.

   • 2019 October 9, "Tiny cub gives lion a huge fright", Hindustan Times:

     A tiny cub is learning the art of stalking a little too well it seems. A video posted on social media shows the cub surprising its mamma and giving her a huge fright. The short clip makes for a delightful watch.

3. (idiomatic, rare) To confirm, favour, strengthen (an opinion, theory, etc.).
   • 1830, E.S. Carlos (translator), Galileo Galilei (author), “The Siderial Messenger”, reprinted in Louise Fargo Brown and George Barr Carson, Men and Centuries of European Civilization, Ayer Publishing (1971), →ISBN, page 427:

     Secondly, we will examine the Cœlestiall Phœnomena that make for the Copernican Hypothesis, as if it were to prove absolutely victorious;

   • 1868 December 1, T.W. Wonfor, “Rare Visitors at Brighton”, in M.C. Cooke, editor, Hardwicke's Science-Gossip, Robert Hardwicke, published 1869, page 278:

     Several very curious varieties of Blues have been taken, which appear to make for Darwin’s theory.

   • 1912, Simon FitzSimons, “Criticisms in Kant”, in The American Catholic Quarterly Review, volume 37, page 148:

     That they are “conditions of thought” does not make for Kant’s theory of the categories one iota more than it makes for the theory of Aristotle or for the theory of Locke.

4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see make,‎ for.

   I made this picture for my Dad.

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