as in devised
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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as in invented
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Recent Examples of trumped-up
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 Nov. 2023
Erdogan’s government has thrown (or attempted to throw) a number of key political opponents into jail on what critics say are trumped-up, spurious charges.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 10 May 2023
Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
The charge was clearly trumped-up, but Yundi was immediately taken off all Chinese stages and media and prevented from going abroad.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 Nov. 2023
Erdogan’s government has thrown (or attempted to throw) a number of key political opponents into jail on what critics say are trumped-up, spurious charges.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 10 May 2023
Adjective
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trumped-up
Verb
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Originally devised in the mid-1990s by financial adviser Bill Bengen, the rule suggested retirees could safely withdraw 4 percent of their portfolio in the first year of retirement and then continue withdrawing the same amount, adjusted for inflation, each year after.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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That theorem, devised by Stephen Hawking way back in 1971, has profound implications.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
17 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
Adjective
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Although these allegations remain unproven, with the stock recovering 150% from its lows, this incident highlights the risks associated with rapidly growing ad-tech companies.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
This is the same lineup, full of younger and mostly unproven players, that has kept the Rangers on the fringe of the wild card spot, a point of irritation among fans.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The students raised money to purchase a garden bed constructed by their school’s geometry and construction class, with the PEAK grant paying for seeds and other garden necessities.—
Janice Phelan,
Kansas City Star,
18 Sep. 2025
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As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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An investigation revealed the suspect was driving without a license and had affixed a fraudulent registration tab to the rear license plate.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
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The fraudulent sellers uncovered by CNBC took credentials from a wide range of companies.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Paige Tortorelli,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Dylan, Kelly and Brenda The Dylan, Kelly and Brenda trifecta practically invented the love triangle trope on TV.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
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The cylindrical steam engine was invented in 1769.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And while OpenAI’s defenders could chalk that up to an isolated or even made-up incident, within 24 hours of the GPT-5 launch Altman was doing damage control, seemingly caught of guard by the bad reception.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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Because a lot of things on reality TV are made-up situations and scenarios to provoke reactions and all of that stuff.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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At Comedy Central, Colbert rose to prominence playing a slightly exaggerated version of Bill O’Reilly and other unapologetically mendacious Fox News pundits from the George W. Bush years.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
18 July 2025
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The true story reveals both how freedom of speech first came to be conceived of as a mechanism for truth, an antidote to falsehood, and the foundation of all liberty—and that, ironically, this new and powerful theory was itself a deliberately mendacious fiction.—
Fara Dabhoiwala,
Harpers Magazine,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trumped-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trumped-up. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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