as in to devise
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
parents who were always trumping up little projects for their children to do around the house
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Recent Examples of trump up
Although the woman-alien’s powers were trumped up to comedic effect, Estelle could not help but see that beneath its B-movie veneer, Devil Girl from Mars tapped into a looming anxiety that was palpable all around.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
His defense team and supporters say the secondment was all aboveboard and ordered by his superiors, and that the allegations are trumped up and political.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 July 2025
Activist groups say the charges against him were trumped up.
—Gabe Levin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
Yes, his relationship with alcohol seems to be not great and complicated, but these charges still seem trumped up to me.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 June 2025
In their response, Petrova’s attorneys accused the government of trumping up criminal charges in a bid to prevent her bail and motions from being heard in federal court.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 28 May 2025
And, while the charges were most likely trumped up, the city’s leaders were correct about one thing: Young people are highly suggestible.
—Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025
The work was banned by the Malian Ministry of Culture and Cissé was arrested and jailed on trumped up charges of accepting French funding.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Human rights groups and some Western countries have accused Iran of trying to win concessions from other nations through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up.
—Fox News, 19 Feb. 2025
Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
His defense team and supporters say the secondment was all aboveboard and ordered by his superiors, and that the allegations are trumped up and political.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 July 2025
Activist groups say the charges against him were trumped up.
—Gabe Levin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
Yes, his relationship with alcohol seems to be not great and complicated, but these charges still seem trumped up to me.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 June 2025
In their response, Petrova’s attorneys accused the government of trumping up criminal charges in a bid to prevent her bail and motions from being heard in federal court.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 28 May 2025
And, while the charges were most likely trumped up, the city’s leaders were correct about one thing: Young people are highly suggestible.
—Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025
The work was banned by the Malian Ministry of Culture and Cissé was arrested and jailed on trumped up charges of accepting French funding.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Human rights groups and some Western countries have accused Iran of trying to win concessions from other nations through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up.
—Fox News, 19 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trump up
Verb
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Stone is a former Riverside County supervisor who devised another north-south split for California, this one intended to give the new eastern California state a couple more seats in Congress and two more Republican seats in the Senate.—
Thomas Elias,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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Saluti has devised a unique trio of designs for The Vault, each drawing inspiration from nature to create abstract, hypnotic forms that blur the boundaries of her creative disciplines.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And, like the brand’s other hot tools, the Wave was constructed with sensors that help ensure your hair is consistently styled at 365 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that creates a lasting look with less damage to the hair.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Tuesday’s vote comes as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie faces his biggest test with a controversial plan to construct taller, denser buildings with tens of thousands of new housing units, which San Francisco very much needs.—
Janie Har,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Advertisement Synthetic dyes are generally made from petroleum and concocted in labs.—
Alice Park,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
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To solve this problem, materials scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have concocted a new sunscreen recipe that spares the ocean’s vital microorganisms.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The two first met in 2009 while performing in 24 Hour Plays, an event in which actors and writers must invent and perform short plays or musicals in 24 hours.—
Beth Sobol,
PEOPLE,
18 Sep. 2025
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The cylindrical steam engine was invented in 1769.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These are not fantasies drummed up by the Left despite claims from Paxton and his most ardent supporters.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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From the get-go, that was an effort on our part to drum up interest.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump%20up. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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