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 of fabricate

• produce
• make
• manufacture
• create

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

The component, which was fabricated at the Saint-Marcel plant in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, measures 13 metres in length and weighs 551 tons. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025

The 2021 report concluded that Bashir breached BBC rules by fabricating fake bank statements and showing them to the earl to gain access to the princess. —Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025

As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 Nov. 2025

In Sweden, for example, more than 40% of new homes — and more than 80% of single-family homes — are fabricated off-site. —Ezra Klein, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for fabricate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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