What does 'make up' mean? It seems to have many meanings.

Make up has five main meanings:

1. Reconcile after a disagreement:
"They argued but made up the next day."

2. Invent a story or lie:
"He made up an excuse for being late."
"Did you make that story up?"

3. Apply cosmetics:
"She's making up before the interview."
"Make-up" (noun) = cosmetics.

4. Constitute or form:
"Women make up 60% of the workforce."
"The team is made up of five people."

5. Compensate for something missed:
"I need to make up the hours I missed."
"Can we make up for lost time?"

How to tell them apart: Context is almost always clear. "They made up" = reconciled. "He made it up" = invented it. "She made up" = applied cosmetics.

Register: All uses are casual to professional depending on context.

Tags: phrasal verbs, multiple meanings, vocabulary, make up