make something of

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.
   • 1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Further Communications on Business”, in Shirley. A Tale. , volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co., , →OCLC, page 52:

     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; […]

   • 1922, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 8, in The Girl on the Boat:

     "A wife might make something of you."

   • 2011 November 22, Jeff Tully, “Oscar De La Hoya a hit at Boys & Girls Club”, in Los Angeles Times, retrieved 5 September 2018:

     "When you send that message and tell these kids that you can succeed and you can make something of your life, that’s a very important message."

2. To develop an understanding or interpretation of.
   • 1860, Oliver Wendell Holmes, chapter 8, in The Professor at the Breakfast Table:

     No doubt your head aches, trying to make something of my description.

   • 1961 June 5, Chalmers M. Roberts, “Talks Fail to Evoke Any 'Spirit of Vienna'”, in Washington Post, retrieved 5 September 2018:

     They tried to make something of the communique's vague phrase about maintaining Soviet-American contacts and they implied that President Kennedy now had Premier Nikita Khrushchev's invitation to drop in at the Kremlin for a visit anytime he chooses.

3. To insist on or emphatically challenge (a point or topic, especially one which may be a subject of disagreement).
   • 1996 August 21, George Vecsey, “Does Reeves Entertain Death Wish?”, in New York Times, retrieved 5 September 2018:

     He's controversial. He's blunt. He could be a good New Yorker. That's my opinion. You wanna make something of it?

• make something of oneself