Definition of on the make in English:

phrase

• 1Intent on gain, typically in an unscrupulous way.

  ‘crooked politicians on the make’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Journalists, particularly those on the make, will pursue ‘a story’ with little regard for its effect on the people involved and their families.’
  • ‘They are all young bands on the make - and Franz Ferdinand is already well on the way to world domination.’
  • ‘There is always someone on the make in a crisis.’
  • ‘Mackintosh beckoned from across the park, then sat down next to him like a vagrant on the make.’
  • ‘This is the story of his adventures when he is sent away to live in London with his uncle, a fat man always on the make - the book's finest comic creation.’
  • ‘He was certainly an ambitious young man who was always on the make, looking for the next angle.’
  • ‘Never trust a biologist on the make, or a former Trotskyist who aligns himself with the neocons…’
  • ‘It was laughable, but then what can be expected from politicians always on the make for a quick pic or plausible headline.’
  • ‘However, at its extreme, this has led to the all-too-familiar deformation of the professional as simply the expert for hire, or another mercenary on the make.’
  • ‘He's got that furtive manner of someone always on the make, someone looking for an angle, probing for a weakness.’

  Synonyms

  ambitious, aspiring, determined, forceful, pushy, enterprising, pioneering, progressive, eager, motivated, enthusiastic, energetic, zealous, committed, go-ahead, go-getting, purposeful, assertive, aggressive, hungry, power-hungry

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1 Looking for a sexual partner.
     ‘he was always on the make and he had a very quick turnover’

     More example sentences

     • ‘She was obviously on the make for her mother's boyfriend.’
     • ‘For handsome twentysomething men on the make, the ideal Manhattan woman is neither the supermodel nor the stripper.’
     • ‘In the dog-eat-dog world of New York dating, pals on the make face an unhappy dilemma: Who's more important, the fling or the friend?’
     • ‘He is soon smitten with new student Pat McClellan who is on the make for the most handsome and richest of the Tait College men.’
     • ‘And all the girls in the film are on the make for Clint.’
     • ‘This former garage is always buzzing with singles, many who seem on the make.’
     • ‘Why are some people faithful and others on the make?’
     • ‘Evie is always on the make - seducing boys, girls, young men, and Tracy's mother.’
     • ‘The crowd can be a little shaky sometimes (a few too many single people on the make!) but the decor is simply mindbendingly good.’
     • ‘We meet the giggly girls, lads on the make, lager louts and smooth talking DJs, all set against the glitzy glamour of the dance floor.’