From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe the making of somebodybe the making of somebodySUCCESSFULto make someone a much better or more successful person You’ll see – a couple of years abroad will be the making of him. → making
Examples from the Corpus
be the making of somebody• Some years later, Muriel admits that this conversation was the making of her.• Its focus is the making of a single programme in the Channel 4 series Dispatches.• The Cruise, for instance, was the making of Jane McDonald.• One of these was the making of jewellery.• Strange how what you regard at the time as being your downfall, often turns out to be the making of you.• One of its main uses was the making of plough shares and other farm implements. 