make up
4 meanings
be the parts that form a group or thing
What does "make up" mean in this sense?
Examples
- Women make up over 60% of the university's student population.
- The committee is made up of representatives from five different countries.
- Renewable sources now make up the bulk of the country's energy supply.
How to use it
This is the core active pattern, where the parts are the subject and the whole or total is the object.
Small businesses make up the majority of companies in the region.
This passive pattern is extremely common — often more natural than the active form — and describes what something consists of.
The research team is made up of scientists from six different countries.
Use this pattern when giving a number or proportion to show what share a group represents.
Renewable energy sources now make up nearly 40% of the country's total output.
Phrases like 'the majority', 'the bulk', and 'the rest' are very common objects in this pattern.
Younger voters made up the bulk of the audience at the event.
When the object is a pronoun, it moves between 'make' and 'up', though the passive is usually more natural in this situation.
Part-time staff make up a large share — in fact, contract workers make the rest up.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
Because 'make up' in this sense describes a state (composition), not an action happening right now, continuous tenses like 'is making up' sound unnatural. Use simple tenses instead.
With 'make up', the parts are the subject and the whole is the object. With 'consist of', the whole is the subject. Mixing up the direction produces unnatural sentences.
When a person is the subject and the object is a story, excuse, or lie, 'make up' means to invent something — not to form a whole. Check: is the subject a component part, or a person creating a fiction?
Usage
The passive form 'be made up of' is very common, especially in academic writing, reports, and journalism. Note the direction: the parts 'make up' the whole, but the whole 'is made up of' the parts.
become friends again after an argument
Sense 2: What does "make up" mean?
Examples
- They had a huge argument, but made up the following morning.
- Have you made up with your sister yet?
- It took them a month to finally make up after the falling-out.
How to use it
Used when both parties are mentioned together as the subject, with no need to name the other person separately.
They argued for a week, but they finally made up.
Used when only one person is the subject and you want to name the other person involved in the reconciliation.
Jamie made up with his best friend after their falling-out.
Used to mention the disagreement or event that caused the problem, showing what the reconciliation followed.
The two colleagues made up after their argument at the meeting.
Adverbs like 'finally', 'eventually', and 'quickly' are very common with this phrasal verb to show how long the process took.
They eventually made up and went back to being close friends.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
In this sense, 'make up' is intransitive — it never takes a direct object. You cannot place a noun after it to describe what was repaired.
'Make up with someone' means to reconcile after a disagreement. 'Make it up to someone' is a different phrase that means to compensate someone for something — notice the word 'it' in the middle.
When 'make up' means to reconcile, it is intransitive and often appears with 'with' or a plural subject. When it means to invent something, it takes a direct object. Check whether there is a direct object to tell them apart.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works in both spoken and written English. It is slightly more common in informal speech and personal storytelling. The expression 'kiss and make up' is a useful fixed phrase that means to reconcile completely and move on.
invent a story or excuse that is not true
Sense 3: What does "make sth up" mean?
Examples
- I think she made up the whole story just to get attention.
- Did you make that excuse up, or did something really happen?
- The details in his report were completely made up — none of them were real.
How to use it
The most common pattern — use a noun referring to something fabricated (a story, an excuse, a lie, a reason) directly after 'up'.
She made up an excuse about being stuck in traffic so she wouldn't have to go to the meeting.
When you replace the object with a pronoun (it, them, the whole thing), it must go between 'make' and 'up', never after 'up'.
That story sounds too strange to be true — I think he made it up.
Short noun phrases can also be placed between 'make' and 'up' for emphasis, especially with 'the whole thing'.
We could all tell she had made the whole thing up to avoid getting in trouble.
The passive form is common and natural, especially when you want to focus on the fabricated content rather than who invented it.
The alibi was completely made up — the police found no evidence to support it.
The continuous form is often used in direct challenges or accusations, suggesting the invention is happening right now.
Are you seriously making this up, or did that actually happen?
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
When the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must go between 'make' and 'up'. Placing it after 'up' is incorrect in English.
'Make out' means to claim or pretend something is true, often about a situation that exists. 'Make up' means to invent something fictional or false from scratch — the thing did not exist before.
In this sense, 'make up' almost always needs an object referring to something invented — a story, excuse, lie, or reason. Without one, the sentence may suggest a different meaning of 'make up' (such as reconciling after an argument).
Usage
This sense is neutral and works in both formal and informal contexts. In positive or creative contexts (e.g. writing fiction), it simply means 'invent' without implying dishonesty.
replace something bad or missing with something good
Sense 4: What does "make up for sth" mean?
Examples
- She worked extra hours to make up for the time she had missed.
- Nothing can make up for the years we lost apart.
- Are you going to make up for being so rude to her yesterday?
How to use it
This is the most common pattern. The object — usually something negative like a loss, delay, or mistake — always comes after the full three-part verb.
He bought her flowers to make up for the argument they had the night before.
Pronouns work naturally here, especially 'it', and always follow the full verb. This is very common in spoken, apologetic language.
I know I forgot your birthday — let me make up for it by cooking you dinner.
When the thing being compensated for is an action, use a gerund after 'for'.
She stayed late to make up for arriving at the office so late that morning.
You can use a 'what' clause after 'for' to refer to something in a more general or open way.
The team played brilliantly in the second half to make up for what had gone wrong earlier.
A thing or quality can also be the subject, showing how one positive thing offsets a negative one.
His energy and enthusiasm more than make up for his lack of experience.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
Without 'for', the meaning changes completely. 'Make up' on its own means to invent a story or to reconcile after an argument — it does not mean to compensate. Always keep the full three-part verb.
'Make up for' is a fixed three-part verb and cannot be separated. The object must always come after 'for', not between 'make' and 'up' or between 'up' and 'for'.
Because the object follows the preposition 'for', the passive form sounds very unnatural in English. It's best to keep the active form.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral and works in both casual speech and professional writing. The fixed phrase 'make up for lost time' is especially common and worth learning as a chunk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'make up' always have this meaning?
No — 'make up' has several different meanings in English. This page covers only the 'form a whole' sense. Other senses exist but are handled separately on this platform.
Is 'be made up of' the same as 'make up'?
Yes, they express the same idea but from different directions. 'Volunteers make up the team' and 'The team is made up of volunteers' mean the same thing. The passive form is especially common in writing and reports.
Can I use 'make up' in the same way as 'consist of'?
They are related but work differently. With 'make up', the parts are the subject ('Chapters make up the book'). With 'consist of', the whole is the subject ('The book consists of ten chapters'). Mixing the directions will produce unnatural English.
Why can't I say 'is making up' here?
Because this sense of 'make up' describes a permanent state — how something is composed — rather than something happening at a specific moment. Stative meanings like this don't work well with continuous tenses in English, so stick to the present simple or past simple.
What kinds of subjects and objects work best with this meaning?
The subject is usually a group, category, or set of parts — for example, a profession, demographic, or type of material. The object is typically the larger whole, often with words like 'majority', 'bulk', 'percentage', 'workforce', 'population', or 'committee'. Subjects like a single named person or an abstract concept don't usually fit this sense.
Does 'make up' always mean to become friends again?
No — 'make up' has several different meanings in English. This page covers only the sense of reconciling after a disagreement. Other senses include inventing a story and forming part of a whole, but those are separate meanings and work differently grammatically.
Do I always need to say 'with' after 'make up'?
No, 'with' is optional. If the context already makes clear who the other person is, you can simply say 'Did they ever make up?' without naming anyone. Use 'with' when you need to specify the other person, for example 'She made up with her neighbour.'
Can I say 'they were making up' or is a different tense more natural?
The present continuous is possible but sounds a little unusual because making up tends to happen at a specific moment rather than over a long ongoing period. The simple past ('they made up') and present perfect ('have you made up yet?') are much more natural and common.
What does 'kiss and make up' mean?
'Kiss and make up' is a fixed expression meaning to fully reconcile with someone and put a disagreement completely behind you. It does not have to involve a literal kiss — it is used in everyday English to describe any situation where two people decide to stop arguing and move on.
Can 'make up' be used in the passive, like 'they were made up'?
Not in this sense. Because 'make up' (reconcile) is intransitive and describes a mutual action, there is no passive form. Both people are equally involved, so there is no single 'receiver' of the action to make passive.
Can 'make up' be used when someone is being creative, not dishonest?
Yes, absolutely. 'Make up' can be used in a neutral or even positive way when someone invents something imaginative rather than deceptive. For example, a parent can 'make up a story' for a child, or an author can 'make up characters'. The context makes clear whether it's dishonest or creative.
Does 'make up' always mean someone is lying?
Not always. 'Make up' in this sense means to invent something that isn't real, but that can be dishonest (making up an excuse) or imaginative (making up a fictional story). The situation tells you which meaning is intended.
What kinds of things can you 'make up'?
The object is usually something that could be told or presented as true — a story, excuse, lie, alibi, reason, explanation, name, or cover story. You don't typically 'make up' a physical object with this meaning; the thing you invent is always some kind of narrative or explanation.
Can I say 'it was made up' without saying who made it up?
Yes, and this is very natural in English. The passive form 'it was made up' or 'the story was completely made up' is commonly used when you want to focus on the fact that something is false, rather than on the person who invented it.
Is it natural to say 'she has made up a story' using the present perfect?
Yes, the present perfect works well with this phrasal verb, especially when you are talking about a recent discovery or revelation. For example: 'I've just realised — she's made up the whole story.' It suggests a connection between the past invention and the current situation.
Does 'make up for' always need an object after 'for'?
In most cases, yes — you need something after 'for' to show what is being compensated for. The most natural exception is 'make up for it', where 'it' refers to something already understood from the conversation, for example: 'I know I was late — I'll make up for it.' You cannot simply say 'I'll make up for' and leave it hanging.
What kinds of things can follow 'for'?
The object of 'for' is usually something negative or missing — a mistake, a delay, a loss, a lack of something, or time that was wasted. You can also use a gerund (an -ing word), like 'make up for being late', or a clause like 'make up for what happened'. The fixed phrase 'make up for lost time' is especially common and worth learning as a set chunk.
Can 'make up for' be used when talking about a thing rather than a person?
Yes, absolutely. A quality, a result, or a situation can be the subject. For example, you might say 'The amazing dessert made up for the slow service' or 'Her dedication makes up for her lack of experience.' This is a very natural and common use of the phrasal verb.
Does 'make up for' have more than one meaning?
The three-part combination 'make up for' has just this one meaning: to compensate for something. However, the two-part verb 'make up' (without 'for') has different meanings, such as inventing a story or reconciling after an argument. This is why keeping 'for' in place is so important.
What does 'make up for lost time' mean?
This is a very common fixed phrase meaning to do things quickly or intensively after a period when you couldn't do them — for example, after an illness, a long absence, or a slow start. You might hear it when someone returns from a long trip and says 'We've got so much to catch up on — let's make up for lost time!' It's worth learning this phrase as a whole chunk.
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