make good

1. Carry out successfully, make sure of, as in He made good his escape . This usage was first recorded in 1606.

2. Succeed, as in He made good as a writer . [c. 1900]

3. Compensate for, make up for, as in They made good the loss . This usage first appeared in William Langland's Piers Ploughman (1377).

4. Fulfill, as in She made good her promise . This usage was first recorded in Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Bible (II Chronicles 6:16): “Make good unto my father, David ... that which thou hast promised him.”

Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• close
• conclude
• determine
• develop
• do
• end
• execute
• finalize
• finish
• halt
• perform
• realize
• settle
• wrap up