frame-up

noun

ˈfrām-ˌəp 

1

: an act or series of actions in which someone is framed

2

: an action that is framed

Examples of frame-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The crooked cops didn’t want anything on the record that might come back to bite them if, or when, the frame-up unraveled. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 25 Mar. 2026

Guevara and two colleagues, Mason and then-Detective Ernest Halvorson, orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for frame-up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

frame-up

noun

ˈfrā-ˌməp

: a scheme to cause an innocent person to be accused of a crime

Legal Definition

frame-up

noun

ˈfrām-ˌəp

: an act or series of acts in which someone is framed