1
as in comprises
to be all the substance of
the book is made up of 20 chapters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in devises
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
she keeps making up excuses as to why she hasn't yet finished the project
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in builds
to form by putting together parts or materials
we'll have to make up the bookcase, which came in a box marked "some assembly required"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of makes up
Their back-and-forth makes up the core of the film, as twists, turns and discoveries gradually unfold.
—
William Earl, Variety, 25 Oct. 2025
The rest of the world makes up about 16% of H-1B workers.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
An inner radiative zone (makes up 70 percent of the Sun by radius), where energy flows smoothly and the whole region spins together like a solid ball, and the outer convective zone (the remaining 30 percent), where hot gases swirl chaotically and spin at different speeds depending on location.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
That makes up less than 4% of total roles outside of the police and fire departments, a city spokeswoman said.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 31 Aug. 2025
How much the effects will affect the consumers whose spending makes up 69% of GDP is impossible to know yet.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Salty, savory soy sauce makes up the bulk of the vinaigrette and adds great flavor to the dressing.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 8 Aug. 2025
William Earl, Variety, 25 Oct. 2025
The rest of the world makes up about 16% of H-1B workers.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
An inner radiative zone (makes up 70 percent of the Sun by radius), where energy flows smoothly and the whole region spins together like a solid ball, and the outer convective zone (the remaining 30 percent), where hot gases swirl chaotically and spin at different speeds depending on location.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
That makes up less than 4% of total roles outside of the police and fire departments, a city spokeswoman said.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 31 Aug. 2025
How much the effects will affect the consumers whose spending makes up 69% of GDP is impossible to know yet.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Salty, savory soy sauce makes up the bulk of the vinaigrette and adds great flavor to the dressing.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for makes up
Verb
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In Harris County, which comprises Houston, the figure is close to forty per cent.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Most of Portland’s roster core comprises players drafted from universities in the United States.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Tiffany Bendayan, a chef and baker in Miami, devises different ways to make the table a space where her daughters—Emily and Sofia—feel comfortable sharing just about anything.—
Karen Cicero,
Parents,
21 Dec. 2025
-
Odysseus, the Ithacan warrior who is as celebrated for craftiness as Achilles is for brute strength, devises a clever ruse in which the Greeks place a giant wooden horse outside Troy’s walls and pretend to sail away.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Alex Rafalowicz, executive director of that initiative, told me the idea for a treaty builds on an International Court of Justice decision earlier this year that held nations legally responsible for curbing climate-heating pollution.—
John D. Sutter,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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The waste generated by the 3D printed builds is deposited into casts resembling large Leggo bricks.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
What constitutes the opportune moment?—
R. Evan Ellis,
The Conversation,
4 Jan. 2026
-
The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, which at over 6,000 housing units constitutes one of the largest landlords in the state, executed 107 eviction writs for the year through early December, more than double the 39 eviction writs executed in all of 2024.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Executive pastry chef Jess Robertson, Ian’s wife, concocts desserts ranging from $4 oatmeal cream pies to $100 banana splits.—
Mary LeBus,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
15 Dec. 2025
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Lockjaw, obsessed with everything about Perfidia, concocts a reason to send authorities into the town where Bob and Willa are living.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As Victor constructs his lab and assembles the Creature, the various stages of its creation are meticulously portrayed.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
3 Jan. 2026
-
By shuffling these more personal images with his own photographs of their rooms—draperies, windows, unmade beds, a shower stall—Xu constructs a fascinating if confounding new reality, a stage set destined to be struck.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Freezing into a brick shape makes vacuum sealing easier.—
Laura Simpson,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
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Which makes Shelley Joseph today’s poster gal for the corrupt double standards in the Massachusetts legal system.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Blending Sufi classics, absurdist dreams, careful mathematical calculations and lyrical narratives, Ismailov invents an ingenious transnational poetics of love and longing for the digital age.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Then unlimited human creativity invents new jobs that deliver more value overall, and living standards rise.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Makes up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/makes%20up. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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