Meaning of make tick | Babel Free

Definitions

1. To cause someone or something to operate the way it does.
   colloquial
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see make, tick.

Examples

“I honestly don't know⟳ the specifics that make⟳ him tick, and I wish⟳ I did.”

“Most of us find⟳ ourselves caught in the middle, ducking for cover⟳ and wondering just who these people are and what could possibly make⟳ them tick.”

“I wanted to roam the world, exploring what made it tick, helping to make⟳ it tick better, and never get⟳ married.”

“So what is it that makes SBB (Swiss national railways) tick? In my humble opinion, two things. Firstly, a comprehensive and set-in-stone integrated timetable (incorporating trains, ferries, cable cars and buses, including the world-famous yellow 'post-autos'), compiled four years in advance and which gets tested twice before it becomes operational.”

CEFR level