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
Congress has to keep making up the gap with general taxpayer funds.
—
Camila Domonoske, NPR, 28 May 2026
The timing of the hearing, coming less than three weeks before the primary election, throws a spotlight on the scandal just as voters are making up their minds.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
So far this year through April 19, 29 of the city’s 201 shooting victims have been under 18 making up 14% of the victims, according to the NYPD.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
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
Camila Domonoske, NPR, 28 May 2026
The timing of the hearing, coming less than three weeks before the primary election, throws a spotlight on the scandal just as voters are making up their minds.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
So far this year through April 19, 29 of the city’s 201 shooting victims have been under 18 making up 14% of the victims, according to the NYPD.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for making up
Verb
-
The same goes for the expedition team, comprising experts in various fields from marine biology to glaciology to sea kayaking.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
The festival will present 65 films from 16 countries, with 21 narratives and 24 documentary features as well as 4 shorts programs comprising 6 narratives and 14 documentaries.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Some other way of devising AI might be required.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Working with industry qubits Imec’s genius is not in devising a new kind of qubit but in using one that’s the easiest to scale.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Zero has started building its first aircraft factory in North Carolina, betting that an unconventional airplane design can reshape commercial aviation while bringing thousands of jobs to the state.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
-
Conway prides himself on hearing from the people and building trust between politicians and Maryland communities.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The consequences are showing up in classrooms, on college campuses, and increasingly in entry-level workplaces, where managers report that young hires struggle with everything from making eye contact during a conversation to composing a coherent professional email.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
The magic behind the work of Rick Dick, who is from Maremma, a rural area in Tuscany, and is in his forties, is the synergy between his skill for composing an image and his savviness for identifying the right moment.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The preview also shows West concocting his Sunday Service before delving down his own rabbit hole.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
-
But in a high-stakes environment like the postseason, with opposing lineups concocting ultra-focused game plans, those quick shifts on the mound can be the difference between crucial wins and brutal losses.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Yet, in 1911, another group of engineers suggested harnessing the force of the stream by constructing a 20-foot hydroelectric dam at Rush Creek and channeling the river overflow through the mountain via a half-mile-long tunnel.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
6 July 2025
-
Similarly, when your salespeople are constructing proposals and contracts, engineers can serve in a go-between capacity, ensuring that your services are optimized for a true win-win arrangement.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
-
The errors have ranged from relatively minor pronunciation gaffes to significant changes to story content, like misattributing or inventing quotes and inserting commentary, such as interpreting a source’s quotes as the paper’s position on an issue.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Intrator also defended the company’s debt strategy, saying CoreWeave is effectively inventing a new financing model for AI infrastructure.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Weather also influences how much local governments will dig into tax revenues to shield us, including building stronger infrastructure to better direct the flow of stormwater, assembling emergency management teams and equipment, and organizing shelters.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
-
Transporting and assembling blades, nacelles, and tower sections weighing hundreds of tons requires increasingly specialized lifting equipment.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Making up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/making%20up. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
