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3,932 words — headwords with part of speech, pronunciation, and a plain-language definition.

faire savoir
verb
to inform, to let know
faire scandale
verb
to cause a scandal
faire semblant
verb
to pretend
faire sens
verb
to make sense
faire sensation
verb
to make a splash, to cause a stir, to cause a sensation; to be a hit, to be a huge success
faire ses adieux
verb
to bid farewell, to bid adieu, to say goodbye
faire ses armes
verb
to win one's spurs, to earn one's stripes
faire ses besoins
verb
to do one's business, to relieve oneself
faire ses choux gras
verb
to have a field day
faire ses classes
verb
to attend school (somewhere); to do one's basic training (somewhere); to learn the ropes (somewhere)
faire ses comptes
verb
to do one's accounts, to do one's sums (to figure out whether one can afford to pay for something)
faire ses dents
verb
to teethe; to cut one's teeth
faire ses délices
verb
to delight, to take great delight, to take great pleasure
faire ses gammes
verb
to play one's scales, to do one's scales; to practise, to train (in general)
faire ses griffes
verb
to sharpen one's claws; to scratch things, to claw the furniture
faire ses nuits
verb
to sleep through the night (to sleep all night without waking up)
faire ses premiers pas
verb
to make one's debut, to take one's first steps (somewhere)
faire ses premières armes
verb
to start out, to cut one's teeth, to get started (in some activity, trade, job, etc.)
faire ses preuves
verb
to prove oneself, to prove one's worth, to win one's spurs, to earn one's stripes, to earn one's wings
faire ses valises
verb
to pack one's bags, to up sticks, to depart
faire sien
verb
to make (something) one's own, to endorse
faire signe
verb
to signal; to gesticulate; to indicate using gestures; to give a heads up, to let know
faire silence
verb
to be quiet
faire simple
verb
to keep it simple, to make it simple
faire soif
verb
it's thirsty in here
faire soleil
verb
to be sunny
faire son affaire
verb
to assume responsibility; to kill; to do one's thing; to manage to
faire son apparition
verb
to appear
faire son beurre
verb
to earn one's corn, to make a living; to make money hand over fist, to make a bundle, to rake it in
faire son chemin
verb
to make progress, to gain some acceptance, to catch on
faire son compte
verb
to manage to
faire son entrée
verb
to enter, to make one's entrance, to make an entrance
faire son intéressant
verb
to show off, to grandstand
faire son lit
verb
to make the bed, to make one's bed (to arrange the sheets, blankets, or other coverings of a bed smoothly and neatly, with the corners tucked under the mattress)
faire son marché
verb
to see what's on offer, to weigh one's options, to take one's pick
faire son maximum
verb
to do as best one can, to do one's best, to do one's utmost, to give it one's best shot
faire son poids
verb
to be heavy
faire son possible
verb
to do what one can
faire son profit
verb
to take advantage of, to make the most of, to turn to good account
faire son retour
verb
to make a comeback, to make one's comeback
faire son âge
verb
to look one's age (to look as old as one actually is)
faire souche
verb
to hive off, to spread, to produce offspring, to start a line of descendants, to found a family, to establish a colony (somewhere)
faire style
verb
to pretend that, to act like
faire suite à
verb
To follow on from
faire surface
verb
to surface, to emerge
faire table rase
verb
to start again from scratch, to start again with a clean slate
faire tache
verb
to not belong; to stand out awkwardly, to stick out like a sore thumb
faire tache d'encre
verb
to spread, to slowly gain ground
faire tache d'huile
verb
to spread, to slowly gain ground
faire tapisserie
verb
to sit on the sidelines, not to partake in something, to stand in the corner doing nothing; to be a wallflower
faire tilt
verb
to click (to make sense suddenly)
faire tourner en bourrique
verb
to drive nuts, to drive crazy, to drive mad
faire tourner le monde
verb
to make the world go round
faire tout un foin de
verb
to make a meal of, make a big thing out of
faire tout un fromage de
verb
to make a meal of, to make a big thing out of
faire tout un plat de
verb
to make a meal of, make a big thing out of
faire toute une histoire de
verb
to make a big thing out of, to make a meal of
faire tête
verb
(intransitive) to stand up to, to express objection to
faire un bide
verb
to flop, to bomb, to tank
faire un bien fou
verb
to do a power of good