Home > Phrasal Verb Dictionary: Letter M
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Make after [Make after somebody].- (insep) When you make after somebody or an animal, you chase them.
- They made after him but couldn't catch him.
- The dog made after the cat but it managed to escape by climbing a tree.
Make away.- (insep) When criminals make
away, they escape. 
Make off
- They managed to make away after all.
Make away with [Make away with something].- (insep) (jewels,
money) When criminals make away with something, they steal it and take
it away. Make off with
- They made away with the stolen jewels.
Make for.- 1 (insep) When you make for a place, you move towards a place, usu. in a hurry. Head for
- They made for the door.
- He made for the toilet as soon as we got home.
2 (insep) When something makes for something else, it produces or contributes to it in some way.
- The minister's speech makes for greater optimism.
- His constant lies don't make for a good relationship.
- His brilliant explanation makes for a better understanding of the whole issue.
Make into
[Make into something].- When you make something into something else, you change it into something
else. Turn
into
- The idea is to make the building into flats.
Make off.- (insep) When you make off, you leave a place in a hurry.
- Overpowering the guard, the thief made off with the money and the guard's gun.
Make out.- (insep) When you make out something, you pretend something is true.
- He made out he was an expert in the field but it was clear he didn't know what he was talking about.
Make out [Make something out].- 1 When you make something out, you manage to understand or see it.
- I couldn't quite make out the writing on the package.
2 (cheque, bill, tax return, shopping list) When you make something out out, you write or complete it. Write out
- Please make out the cheque to CMM Intelligence Ltd.
Make up [Make something up].- When you make something up, you invent it.
- The story she told you wasn't true. She just made it up.
Measure up to [Measure up to something].- (insep) (standard, description, expectations, responsibilities) When somebody or something measures up to something, they reach or fulfill something or are as good as something else.
- Never mind that he won the Pulitzer and the Nobel. He just doesn't measure up to the giants of his time - Faulkner, Hemingway and Fitzgerald.
Mess about.- (insep)
When you mess about, you waste your time doing something silly or not
doing anything at all. muck
about
- It was bliss just messing about, eating, exploring and, most important of all, talking.
Mess up [Mess up, mess something up].- (insep) When you mess something up, you do it badly or break it.
- It was so bad that, when the surgeon admitted he'd messed up on my nose and wanted to fix it again, I said no way.
Mix up [Mix somebody up].- When
you mix somebody up with somebody else, you mix their identities. Mix up, muddle up, jumble up
- Unfortunately, the bank had mixed him up with another customer who had the same surname and initials.
Mix up [Mix something up].- 1 When you mix things up, you confuse
them. Muddle up
- I was supposed to see my counselor on Saturday, but I mixed up the times and its actually this coming Saturday.
2 When you mix things up, you, mix them together.
- First, you should mix up a little packet of yeast with one cup of warm water.
Move away.- (insep) When you move away, you leave a place to live somewhere else.
- I had a crush on her, but she moved away during the semester and I never got to see her ever again.
Move in.- (insep) When you move in, you start living in a new house.
- There had been reports they had moved in together, but it isn't true.
- I was dreading telling my dad I was moving in with Paul.
- You can move in when you've paid the deposit.
Move on.- (insep) When you move on, you leave something behind or stop doing something and so something else instead.
- Come on, it's all history now. It's time we all moved on.
- Lee has now moved on to work for a small tech company that makes routers or something like that.
Move out.- (insep) When you move out, you stop living in a particular place and start living somewhere else.
- He used to share a flat with Bill but they argued a lot so he moved out.
- She lost contact with her childhood friends when she moved out of the area.
Muck about.- (insep)
When you muck about, you waste your time doing something silly or not
doing anything at all. muck
about
- Since I spend all day in work doing serious stuff with computers it's a joy to just muck about when at home.
Muck in.- (insep) When you muck in, you give a hand.
- Prince William is reaching the end of 10 weeks of voluntary work in remote Patagonia, earning the respect of his peers by mucking in with the rest.
Muddle up [Muddle something up].- When you muddle something or somebody up, you confuse them. Mix up
- We got muddled up between you and your twin sister and did not realise we'd made a mistake until it was too late.
Mull over [Mull something over].- (decision, things, question,
suggestion, issue) When you mull something over, you think about it
or discuss it very carefully. Chew
over, think over
- Company executives are mulling over what to do with the contaminated building.
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