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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of making up
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
Center, and the bourbon bars and distilleries making up Whiskey Row.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 5 Oct. 2025
The Lumbee Tribe has 60,000 members in Robeson, Hoke, Scotland and Cumberland counties, making up the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth largest in the country, the resolution says.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 4 Oct. 2025
This stems from the concept of reparations in the popular consciousness being flattened to mean checks for Black people making up for the harms of slavery.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Creators making up to $400,000 a year could claim some portion of the deduction.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
As of Wednesday, only 70,000 Palestinians had evacuated Gaza City out of approximately one million people, a senior Israeli official said, making up less than 10% of the total population.
—Ibrahim Dahman, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
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
Center, and the bourbon bars and distilleries making up Whiskey Row.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 5 Oct. 2025
The Lumbee Tribe has 60,000 members in Robeson, Hoke, Scotland and Cumberland counties, making up the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth largest in the country, the resolution says.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 4 Oct. 2025
This stems from the concept of reparations in the popular consciousness being flattened to mean checks for Black people making up for the harms of slavery.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Creators making up to $400,000 a year could claim some portion of the deduction.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
As of Wednesday, only 70,000 Palestinians had evacuated Gaza City out of approximately one million people, a senior Israeli official said, making up less than 10% of the total population.
—Ibrahim Dahman, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for making up
Verb
-
The Lotus Spa is impressively large, spanning two stories (a Princess first, on decks 5 and 6) and comprising 19 treatment rooms.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Hence Ponti’s new brand plans to drop six to eight capsule collections a year, each comprising around a dozen items priced on average at under 300 euros.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Health ministry officials and the ministry of trade are also devising tax breaks to incentivize local manufacturing, said Modise.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
And commissioners spent all that time devising the College Sports Commission in an attempt to stabilize the NIL/portal market, then sit back and let one school in their conference steal yet another star QB half an hour before the portal closes.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The bill would provide a temporary carve-out for companies building new multifamily housing or rehabilitating properties that would otherwise be uninhabitable.—
Emily Wilkins,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Opponents of Village Farms worry about building so many homes on a flood plain, especially one so close to an unlined landfill that could be leaking toxic chemicals.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While the weary court composer is buried in the bureaucracy of state music, teaching scores of pupils, serving on endless committees and composing anthems and choral pieces, Mozart is dashing off works of startling originality while acting like a complete goofball.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Lama provides an artist-friendly approach to composing materials built from layers representing distinct physical phenomena.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Reporters including Sheen can be seen concocting covert plots to meet with them face to face, the success or failure of which briefly becomes an intense point of interest.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The reality is that the AI is concocting elaborate personas, faking as though humans are writing about human woes.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The authority would work toward acquiring, financing, constructing and leasing land and capital improvements.—
Michelle L. Quinn,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Companies taking part in the state’s Reinvestment Payment Program earn a rebate on sales taxes paid for upgrading equipment or constructing a new building or expansion in South Dakota.—
Makenzie Huber,
States Newsroom,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Preparing an emergency plan, assembling a go-kit, and staying aware of changing weather conditions can also help protect lives and property during wildfire season.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The alliance is currently in the process of assembling its slate in collaboration with filmmakers, writers and visual-tech artists and engineers.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Tell that to Soren Sorensen (Sam) Adams, the Danish immigrant who is credited with inventing many of the same contraptions, along with some six hundred others, including sneezing powder and the joy buzzer.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Teachers are not inventing problems.—
Lance Walters,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Making up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/making%20up. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
