make sense of something

USAGE SUMMARY

"make sense of something" is a grammatically correct and commonly used phrase in written English.
It means to understand or comprehend something that may be confusing or difficult to understand. Example: "After reading multiple reviews, I finally made sense of the complicated instructions for assembling the bookshelf."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

35 human-written examples

This would make sense of something otherwise alarmingly off-kilter.

The Washington Post

"Words cannot capture the horror, or make sense of something so senseless," he said.

The New York Times

It seemed to make sense of something which can too often be turned into a vanity parade.

The Guardian

It is hard to make sense of something so painful and pervasive, and all the harder when so few want to talk about it.

The Economist

I think my music and my style are connected in a way where they're both trying to express the same things, or make sense of something greater.

The New York Times

With decades more uncertainty and incivility to come, it'll be young people who are forced to make sense of something that makes no sense for our country.

The Washington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

25 human-written examples

They were doing for their viewers what the exhibition wants us to do: to play these idle games of snap, and believe that, when we've made a match, then – a-ha! – we've made sense of something.

Independent

One object would suddenly find itself juxtaposed with another one in a relationship that immediately made sense of something else, even though I didn't necessarily quite know what.

Independent

The concert, surprisingly brief, was a five-song retrospective; the band is touring a lot this summer, and it's exciting to ponder an important repertory finally made sense of, something that happens to too few living jazz musicians.

The New York Times - Arts

How can you blame them for not making sense of something that doesn't ever work in the first place?

Huffington Post

This progression of ever-larger systems is a bit dazzling, and we might wonder how we can ever know (or even make sense of) whether something is contributing to the well-being of the universe as a whole.

SEP

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "make sense of something" when you want to convey the act of understanding or finding a coherent explanation for something complex or confusing.

Common error

Avoid using "make sense" with a singular, easily understandable noun. The phrase is best suited for complex or abstract concepts. For example, instead of saying "I can't make sense of this book", you might say, "I can't understand this book".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "make sense of something" functions as a verb phrase, indicating an action performed by someone to understand or comprehend a particular subject or situation. As Ludwig AI explains, the phrase is grammatically correct and commonly used.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Academia

12%

Science

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "make sense of something" is a versatile and commonly used phrase that conveys the action of understanding or comprehending a subject. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct and widely accepted. This phrase appears most frequently in News & Media and Academic contexts, demonstrating its suitability for both general and specialized discourse. Related alternatives include "understand something", "decipher something", and "figure something out", each offering subtle variations in meaning. When using "make sense of something", ensure that the 'something' is complex or abstract enough to warrant the effort of understanding.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

understand something

Direct synonym focusing on comprehension.

decipher something

Implies overcoming difficulty in understanding.

comprehend something

More formal synonym for understanding.

figure something out

Suggests a process of reasoning and discovery.

get to the bottom of something

Indicates thorough investigation to understand fully.

make head or tail of something

Idiomatic expression for understanding something confusing.

grasp something

Emphasizes intellectual understanding.

resolve something

Focuses on finding a solution or explanation.

illuminate something

Implies clarifying something by shedding light on it.

unpack something

Suggests carefully analyzing something to reveal its meaning.

FAQs

How can I use "make sense of something" in a sentence?

You can use "make sense of something" to describe the process of understanding something complex or confusing. For example, "I'm trying to make sense of the new tax laws."

What's a more formal way to say "make sense of something"?

A more formal alternative would be to say "comprehend something" or "understand something", which are both appropriate in academic or professional contexts.

Is it correct to say "make sense from something"?

No, the correct preposition to use with "make sense" in this context is "of". The correct phrase is "make sense of something".

What does it mean to "figure something out", and how is it different from "make sense of something"?

"Figure something out" implies a process of active problem-solving or discovery, while "make sense of something" suggests understanding or finding coherence in something that already exists. They are similar but emphasize different aspects of understanding.