Meanings
present singular third person makes hay while the sun shines · participle present making hay while the sun shines · participle past made hay while the sun shone · past made hay while the sun shone
- idiomaticTo act while an opportunity exists; to take action while a situation is favorable.
Near-synonym: grasp the nettle
1 more example
Until the mid-2010s, the ROSCOs 'made hay while the sun shone', taking advantage of growing passenger demand and expanding services to find homes for their rolling assets - in some cases, well beyond their expected design lives.
2023 June 28, Ben Jones, “Are we getting rid of our (still useful) rolling stock too early?”, in RAIL, number 986, page 28Synonyms: strike while the iron is hot, take time by the forelock, grasp the nettle
- literalagricultureTo make hay during favourable (dry) weather.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo act while an opportunity exists; to take action while a situation is favorable.
Origin
Hay harvest can be spoiled by wet weather. It is important that farmers seize the opportunity of dry weather for haymaking tasks (cutting, drying, gathering), more so in medieval times, when forecasting the weather was more difficult. Attested since 1546, originally a Tudor expression, and used figuratively since 1673.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 趁熱打鐵 /趁热打铁
- 趁熱打鐵 /趁热打铁 (chènrèdǎtiě)act while an opportunity exists
Czech kuj železo, dokud je žhavé
- kuj železo, dokud je žhavéact while an opportunity exists
Dutch het ijzer smeden als het heet is
- het ijzer smeden als het heet isact while an opportunity exists
Finnish tao kun rauta on kuumaa
- tao kun rauta on kuumaaact while an opportunity exists
French battre le fer tant qu’il est chaud
- battre le fer tant qu’il est chaudact while an opportunity exists
German das Eisen schmieden, so lange es heißt ist
- das Eisen schmieden, so lange es heißt istact while an opportunity exists
Greek στη βράση κολλάει το σίδερο
- στη βράση κολλάει το σίδερο (sti vrási kolláei to sídero)act while an opportunity exists
Hindi बहती गंगा में हाथ धोना
- बहती गंगा में हाथ धोना (bahtī gaṅgā mẽ hāth dhonā)act while an opportunity exists
Hungarian addig üsd a vasat, amíg meleg
- addig üsd a vasat, amíg melegact while an opportunity exists
Italian battere il ferro finché è caldo
- battere il ferro finché è caldoact while an opportunity exists
Japanese 善は急げ
- 善は急げ (zen wa isoge)act while an opportunity exists
Malay sediakan payung sebelum hujan
- sediakan payung sebelum hujanact while an opportunity exists
Polish kuć żelazo, póki gorące
- kuć żelazo, póki gorąceact while an opportunity exists
Portuguese aproveite a maré
- aproveite a maréact while an opportunity exists
Russian куй желе́зо, пока́ горячо́
- куй желе́зо, пока́ горячо́ (kuj želézo, poká gorjačó)act while an opportunity exists
Scottish Gaelic buain am maorach nuair a tha an tràigh ann
- buain am maorach nuair a tha an tràigh annact while an opportunity exists
Spanish ahora que hay modo, la ocasión, la pintan calva
- ahora que hay modoact while an opportunity exists
- la ocasión, la pintan calvaact while an opportunity exists
Cite this entry
make hay while the sun shines. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20hay%20while%20the%20sun%20shines
“make hay while the sun shines.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20hay%20while%20the%20sun%20shines. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make hay while the sun shines,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20hay%20while%20the%20sun%20shines.
Source: make hay while the sun shines on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.