Meanings
present singular third person makes it · participle present making it · participle past made it · past made it
- To succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, going somewhere, attending an event, arriving in time for something, adding to one's schedule or itinerary, or in getting where one wants to be in one's life or career, which sometimes means becoming or wanting to become successful (succeed in a big way) or famous.
I can't make it to the concert; I have to work.
5 more examples
He never made it to Italy despite talking about it all his life.
I'm not just going to make it; I'm going to make it big.
As long as we have each other, it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not.
We're not gonna make it / ’Cause there’s a million better bands
1995, “We Are Not Going To Make It”, performed by The Presidents of the United States of AmericaI was scrambling to my feet when I saw the car sliding back toward me, having not quite made it to the crest of the hill.
2003, Frank P. Baron, What Fish Don't Want You to Know - To succeed in surviving, in living through something.
Arjaan didn't make it. He went down covering our saboteur-took out nearly a dozen kett before he fell.
2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: For the Commander1 more example
Don’t die, pal. You’re gonna make it little buddy. Come on, man. We’re gonna help you, and you’re gonna make it.
1980, Will D. Campbell, Brother to a Dragonfly - To have sexual intercourse.
[…]a fellow who knew how to make every girl happy, but once he’d made it with her didn’t know where to go from there.
1993, The Four Sonyas, translation of original by Vladimír Páral1 more example
Iris Steensma (Jodie Foster): “Listen, we better make it or Sport’ll get mad. So how do you wanna make it?” Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro): “I don’t wanna make it. Who’s Sport?” Iris Steensma: “Oh, that’s Matthew. I call him Sport. Wanna make it like this? (starts to unbuckle belt)[…] “Don't you want to make it?” Travis Bickle: “No I don’t wanna make it. I wanna help you” […] Iris Steensma: “Listen, we don’t have to make it mister.”
1976, Paul Schrader, 01:21:04 from the start, in Martin Scorsese, director, Taxi Driver (film)Synonyms: do it, get it, approach, cohabit, common, company, copulate, couple
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo have sexual intercourse.
More synonyms by meaning
verbcontinue in existence after (an adversity, etc.)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 來得及 /来得及, 上岸
- 來得及 /来得及 (láidejí)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- 上岸 (shàng'àn)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
Dutch het halen
- het halento succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
Finnish ehtiä, päästä
- ehtiäto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- päästäto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- menestyäto become famous and successful
- selvitäto survive, to live through something
- selviytyäto survive, to live through something
French arriver à temps, réussir
- arriver à tempsto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- réussirto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
German es schaffen, es schaffen
- es schaffento succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- es schaffento become famous and successful
- groß rauskommento become famous and successful
- es schaffento survive, to live through something
Hungarian sikerül, elér
- sikerülto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- elérto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- eljutto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- bejutto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- sokra viszito become famous and successful
- életben maradto survive, to live through something
- túlélto survive, to live through something
- megmaradto survive, to live through something
- megúszikto survive, to live through something
Italian farcela, raggiungere
- farcelato succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- raggiungereto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- arrivareto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- sfondareto become famous and successful
- affermarsito become famous and successful
- spuntarlato become famous and successful
- farcelato become famous and successful
- sopravvivereto survive, to live through something
- farselato have sexual intercourse
Japanese 間に合う
- 間に合う (maniau)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
Polish zdążać, zdążyć
- zdążaćto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- zdążyćto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
Russian успева́ть, успе́ть
- успева́ть (uspevátʹ)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- успе́ть (uspétʹ)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- выжива́ть (vyživátʹ)to survive, to live through something
- вы́жить (výžitʹ)to survive, to live through something
Spanish lograrlo, llegar a tiempo
- lograrloto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- llegar a tiempoto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
Swedish hinna, hinna fram i tid
- hinnato succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- hinna fram i tidto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- klara detto succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- slå igenomto become famous and successful
- klara sigto survive, to live through something
Ukrainian устига́ти, усти́гнути
- устига́ти (ustyháty)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- усти́гнути (ustýhnuty)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- усти́гти (ustýhty)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- поспіва́ти (pospiváty)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
- поспі́ти (pospíty)to succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, or getting there on time
Cite this entry
make it. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20it
“make it.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20it. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make it,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20it.
Source: make it on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.