fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfa-bri-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

transitive verb

1

a

: invent, create

b

: to make up for the purpose of deception

accused of fabricating evidence

2

: construct, manufacture

specifically : to construct from diverse and usually standardized parts

Their plan is to fabricate the house out of synthetic parts.

fabricator

ˈfa-bri-ˌkā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• fashion
• form
• frame
• make
• manufacture
• produce

Examples of fabricate in a Sentence

Only the largest parts were fabricated at the factory.

Their plan is to fabricate the house out of synthetic materials.

a story fabricated to sell magazines

She was accused of fabricating data.

Recent Examples on the Web

Three cars were fabricated from scratch while the fourth was made from an ex P3 chassis. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024

It has been fabricated using conventional battery chemistries such as lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA, popular for a time in Tesla cars). —IEEE Spectrum, 5 Apr. 2024

Like many of the steel structures Serra worked with, the five plates composing the structure were fabricated in Germany and shipped to the site of the installation for assembly. —Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Far too radical for its time and expensive to fabricate, the piece languished for decades but emerged as a coveted emblem of Modernism when Cassina started producing it in 1965. —Evan Moffitt, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Putin said Saturday that the suspects were apprehended while trying to escape to Ukraine, and Russian state media have suggested that the West is fabricating the claim of Islamic State culpability to protect Kyiv. —Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024

From steel fabricated without coal, to beer brewed without natural gas, to cement that sequesters carbon, an industrial revolution is unfolding. —Jeffrey Rissman, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024

The big revelation in the original Final Fantasy VII is that Cloud fabricated his version of the events at Nibelheim. —Ash Parrish, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024

Sherri Papini, the woman who fabricated her own elaborate kidnapping and went to prison for mail fraud and lying to federal agents, still owes more than $300,000 in restitution, federal officials say. —Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fabricaten, borrowed from Latin fabricātus, past participle of fabricāre, fabricārī "to fashion, shape, construct," derivative of fabrica "process of making something, craft, art" — more at fabric

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfab-ri-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

1

: invent sense 2, create

2

: to make up in order to deceive

fabricated evidence to support her claim

3

: construct sense 1, manufacture

fabrication

ˌfab-ri-ˈkā-shən

noun

fabricator

ˈfab-ri-ˌkāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfa-brə-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

transitive verb

: to make up (as testimony) with an intent to deceive

intransitive verb

: to make something up with an intent to deceive

there was a motive to fabricate

—Gary Taylor