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Meaning & use

made

verb, adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/meɪd/
US/meɪd/

“made” is a form of “make”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive or intransitive

    Created, produced, caused, or brought into existence; past tense and past participle of make.

    Grammar: Can take an object: she made dinner; in fixed phrases it can be intransitive: made to order.

    Patterns

    • made something
    • made someone do something
    • be made of something
    • be made from something

    She made dinner for six people.

    The announcement made everyone curious.

    These shoes are made in Portugal.

  2. adjectiveafter a verb

    Formed from particular material, produced in a certain place, or forced to happen in fixed patterns after be.

    Grammar: Follows be in patterns like be made of/from/in; made to order means produced after ordering.

    Patterns

    • be made of something
    • be made from something
    • be made in somewhere
    • made to order

    The frame is made of recycled steel.

    Paper is made from wood pulp.

    The jacket was made to order.

Word forms

base formmake
third-person singularmakes
past tensemade
past participlemade
-ing formmaking

Common combinations

made of
The bridge is made of stone and steel.
made from
Wine is made from grapes.
made in
This phone was made in Vietnam.
made to order
The cabinet was made to order for a narrow hallway.

Synonyms and how they differ

created
Neutral and general; made is more common in everyday speech.
produced
Suggests manufacturing or bringing a result into being, often on a larger scale.
manufactured
Specific to industrial production; made can include cooking, building, or causing.
forced
Fits the pattern be made to do, meaning compelled, not created.

Opposites

destroyedunmadedismantled

Word family

maker noun
A person or company that makes something.
making noun
The process or period of being made.
made-up adjective
Invented or wearing cosmetics, depending on context.

Commonly confused: made or mad? made or make?

made vs mad

Mad means angry or insane; made is the past form of make.

made vs make

Make is the base form; use made for past actions: I made, not I make yesterday.

Practice

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