make it

Verb

1. To succeed in doing something, for example in reaching a place, going somewhere, attending an event, arriving in time for something, adding to one's schedule or itinerary, or in getting where one wants to be in one's life or career, which sometimes means becoming or wanting to become successful (succeed in a big way) or famous.
   • He never made it to Italy despite talking about it all his life.
   • I can't make it to the concert; I have to work.
   • I'm not just going to make it; I'm going to make it big.
2. To succeed in surviving, in living through something.
   • Don’t die, pal. You’re gonna make it little buddy. Come on, man. We’re gonna help you, and you’re gonna make it. - 1980, Will D. Campbell, Brother to a Dragonfly:
   • Arjaan didn't make it. He went down covering our saboteur-took out nearly a dozen kett before he fell. - 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: For the...
3. To have sexual intercourse.
   • Iris Steensma (Jodie Foster): “Listen, we better make it or Sport’ll get mad. So how do you wanna make it?” Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro): “I don’t wanna make it. Who’s Sport?” Iris Steensma: “Oh, that’s Matthew. I call...
   • […]a fellow who knew how to make every girl happy, but once he’d made it with her didn’t know where to go from there. - 1993, The Four Sonyas, translation of original by Vladimír Páral:

   Synonyms: do it get it approach cohabit common company copulate couple engage in sex exchange flesh have intimate relations have marital relations have sex have sexual relations intercourse know know someone in the biblical sense make love mate share a bed sleep together strain bang bauf

4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see make, it.
   • The blisters on my foot made it a problem to walk without a cane.