1
as in comprising
to be all the substance of
the book is made up of 20 chapters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in devising
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 building
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 making up
Businesses run by women are beginning to dominate the state’s economy, making up 40% statewide.
—
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2026
San Francisco, for instance, now offers interest-free loans of up to $500,000 to first-time homebuyers making up to $218,200 annually.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 19 Mar. 2026
These are the plants that are making up my diet during my winter in Florida.
—Robin Greenfield, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
Black people account for 53% of the unhoused population, despite making up less than one-third of the city’s total population.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Barnes noted that the team's computer simulations were limited by the number and sizes of the particles making up the clouds of pebbles that went on to form planetesimals.
—Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026
With Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb solely making up for nearly 37% of the team's cap, there's not much to go around.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In the same time frame, the number of homes that are valued at $500,000 went from 5% to 25% of the city’s housing stock — making up a quarter of what’s available in Olathe.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
Arteta ended this block of matches before the international break by being adventurous against both Newcastle and West Ham, despite slightly different personnel making up that midfield unit.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2026
San Francisco, for instance, now offers interest-free loans of up to $500,000 to first-time homebuyers making up to $218,200 annually.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 19 Mar. 2026
These are the plants that are making up my diet during my winter in Florida.
—Robin Greenfield, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
Black people account for 53% of the unhoused population, despite making up less than one-third of the city’s total population.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Barnes noted that the team's computer simulations were limited by the number and sizes of the particles making up the clouds of pebbles that went on to form planetesimals.
—Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026
With Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb solely making up for nearly 37% of the team's cap, there's not much to go around.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In the same time frame, the number of homes that are valued at $500,000 went from 5% to 25% of the city’s housing stock — making up a quarter of what’s available in Olathe.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
Arteta ended this block of matches before the international break by being adventurous against both Newcastle and West Ham, despite slightly different personnel making up that midfield unit.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for making up
Verb
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Attorneys for the defendants began investigating, and learned that one of the passengers in the car, Jacqueline Thompson, was a member of the Harris family, a sprawling New Orleans clan comprising dozens of relatives.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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The wildlife corridor stretches from Mexico to Argentina, comprising 30 conservation landscapes.—
Tom Page,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There were also signs of progress on property taxes as lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee advanced their tax cut proposal — although their plan remains far from the one their Senate counterparts are devising.—
Stephen Gruber-Miller,
Des Moines Register,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Last week, the council voted to direct the city manager to study moving emergency operations, dispatch and the service call center out of City Hall while devising funding plans for repairing the building, staying there and relocating.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Still, chefs work within supply limits, introducing the product in deliberate ways and building familiarity one dish at a time.—
Jaia Clingham-David,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Apr. 2026
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Breadon said the community favors building a new facility on the same site.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Why, Fredriksen has asked, would writers of the mid-second century, composing pseudonymous letters in the voice of a first-century figure, include statements predicting Christ’s imminent return?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Seeing something on the moon, describing it, and composing a photograph from a very close distance is a different experience from viewing something from afar, or even seeing a close-up captured by a robotic camera.—
Rebecca Boyle,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As Gyllenhaal begins concocting her third directorial feature, could Curtis be part of the picture?—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
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Gyllenhaal, who also wrote her film, has corrected the imbalance, refashioning the story from the Bride’s perspective and concocting a protagonist of unfiltered feminist fury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stearns has generally placed a higher premium on defense up the middle when constructing rosters.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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By utilizing an existing containment structure, the project was able to establish a testing environment without constructing an entirely new shell.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If paired with traps like this one, scientists elsewhere could start assembling antihydrogen themselves, and this would be a game-changer.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
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Demolition and recovery crews on the site spent Friday assembling a large crane and a wrecking ball that will be used during the demolition process.—
Joe Brandt,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Building a business post-Poppi Ten years after inventing Poppi, Ellsworth knows a thing or two about how to create a successful product—and for her, the key is all about authenticity.—
Katie Moore,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
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San Francisco taqueria El Faro, credited with inventing the super burrito, may be forced to sell its restaurant, citing an extreme rent increase.—
Loureen Ayyoub,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Making up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/making%20up. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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