How to Use make certain in a Sentence

make certain

idiom
Definition of make certainnext
  • Time for Utah to bolt, to jump ship, and to make certain its football future.
    — Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Glass’s cold melodies break up the scenes, and make certain moments of high tension seem as though they were snatched from a thriller.
    — Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2022
  • For the assessment, the team had to make certain assumptions.
    — Doug Johnson, Ars Technica, 4 May 2022
  • Run your dishwasher on the hottest setting (run your sink on hot for a minute or two first to make certain hot water has reached the kitchen).
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2023
  • But they were told that the genre was either rap, country or heavy metal and asked to make certain judgments about the lyrics and the person who wrote them.
    — Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2024
  • Certain things have to be done in certain order to make certain that folks don't get displaced all over again.
    — Mark Nichols, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2023
  • However, the commission appeared to leave the door open for Hungary to make certain reforms — and keep the money in the end.
    — Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2022
  • Most accounts say that Biden believed more work needed to be done before a raid was launched, such as one more pass with a drone to make certain.
    — Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, 18 July 2024
  • That includes the use of yardsticks to make certain water measurements along canals.
    — Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2023
  • People feel like women should play a certain role and make certain music.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2022
  • But doing so might make certain functions, such as a transportation app, not work.
    — Washington Post, 4 May 2022
  • The movement already has produced a flurry of new laws that make certain topics off-limits in the classroom.
    — USA Today, 20 Oct. 2022
  • The product's main source of carbohydrates is rice, which can make certain dog breeds sensitive to it.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2022
  • While all this is going on, retailers have their own businesses to run, and are now forced to make certain assumptions for the balance of 2022.
    — Rick Helfenbein, Forbes, 1 Feb. 2022
  • As mentioned, fish are very sensitive to the sonar ping, so while not in use, make certain to put all other units in sleep mode, or simply turn them off completely.
    — Chad Morgenthaler, Outdoor Life, 8 Aug. 2024
  • Provide more protection from the afternoon sun if this applies to you, and make certain to water well in hot weather.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Parents also will be able make certain words or topics off limits.
    — Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023
  • The freedom is something that might make certain other royals jealous.
    — Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 5 May 2023
  • The freedom is something that might make certain other royals jealous.
    — Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 5 May 2023
  • What might make certain pockets of a city more vulnerable than others?
    — Justine Calma, The Verge, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Both Trump and Harris would make certain income entirely tax-free for some workers but not others.
    — Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
  • To take these resources and apply them here, certainly, the American public wants to make certain this is not an abuse of discretion.
    — CBS News, 21 Aug. 2022
  • Watching other people make choices in their life and learning from them really helped me to make certain choices in my life.
    — Katie Bain, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2022
  • Check the container to make certain the shoots and rhizomes are not being nibbled, and install a floating plant protector if needed.
    — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2024
  • Use air conditioning when possible, or make certain that open windows and doors have screens.
    — Erika Edwards, NBC News, 29 July 2023
  • How does a person make certain that this information is available?
    — Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 30 Apr. 2023
  • The city would agree to make certain reforms and allow the monitor to determine the department's compliance.
    — Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Socks can make certain shoes much more comfortable, but several boat shoes may perform best without them.
    — Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 9 Jan. 2023
  • While the domestic Moon, graceful Venus, and strong Mars are all in your sign to teach you what's best for you personally, no planet can give you the right to make certain decisions for others.
    — Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 29 Jan. 2022
  • This is also going to cause the Secret Service to make certain choices about resources because their capabilities are not infinite.
    — Javed Ali, The Conversation, 15 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'make certain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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