what makes (one) tick

what makes (one) tick

The things that motivate one or make one behave in a certain way. I'd love to sit you down for an interview so I can find out what makes you tick. Janet is a very private person, so it's hard to know what makes her tick.See also: make, tick, what

make someone or something tick

Fig. to cause someone or something to run or function. (Usually with what. Tick refers to a watch or clock.) I don't know what makes it tick. What makes John tick? I just don't understand him. I took apart the radio to find out what made it tick.See also: make, tick

what makes someone tick

Fig. something that motivates someone; something that makes someone behave in a certain way. (Fig. on what makes something tick.) William is sort of strange. I don't know what makes him tick. When you get to know people, you find out what makes them tick.See also: make, tick, what

what makes something tick

Fig. the sense or mechanism that makes something run or function. (With reference to the ticking of a clock representing the functioning of the clock.) I don't know what makes it tick. I took apart the radio to find out what made it tick.See also: make, tick, what

what makes one tick

What makes one function characteristically, what motivates one, as in We've never figured out what makes these chess players tick. This expression alludes to tick in the sense of "function as an operating mechanism, such as a clock." [Colloquial; first half of 1900s] See also: make, one, tick, what

what makes someone tick

what motivates someone. informalSee also: make, someone, tick, what

what makes somebody ˈtick

(informal) what makes somebody behave or think in the way they do: I’ve never really understood what makes her tick. ♢ Money is what makes him tick. Tick here is the sound a watch or clock makes as the hands move forward every second.See also: make, somebody, tick, what