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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The legendary K-pop group, comprising current members Taeyang, G-Dragon and Daesung, announced a new world tour during their weekend two set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Sunday night.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
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Authorities report that the affected flock, comprising dozens of chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys, is located in Pierce County.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The board has also contemplated devising an explanation or message for the county’s website detailing to the public the reason for the changes.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
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Based in Los Angeles, Parker spent the last eight years building and leading the IP business at Verve — now a full-service division of the agency — which during her tenure sold more than 250 projects across publishing, audio, film, television, and licensing.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
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The electrician wiring a data center is building the backbone of the AI boom, where a single error can cost millions in downtime.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The songs are by composing legend Mike Stoller, now 93, and a master tunesmith during the era in which much of the story spans.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The track has been newly mixed and mastered and features Prince producing, arranging, composing and performing all instrumentation.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to the report, workers illegally pocketed between $20,000 and more than $41,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans from a massive federal COVID-19 pandemic relief effort – some by concocting companies that didn't exist to pocket federal assistance funds.—
Chris Tye,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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To overcome these limitations, researchers propose constructing a continuous field of local reference frames guided by surface geometry and keypoints.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
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Soft robotics, a subfield of robotics that says robots can be squishy, focuses on constructing robots from highly flexible, deformable materials and systems.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gamble is still assembling a staff but one of her assistants will be her brother, Kenneth Davis, a former receiver at Liberty High in Bakersfield.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
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With every petal peeled and stem snipped, Phoebe Rupp, Maddie Cofer and Ava Sudbeck are assembling their masterpieces.—
Bo Evans,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s the kind of thing Cook’s Apple was good at inventing—reasons to stick around in Apple’s ecosystem once you’d already been drawn in.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
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The first is inventing yourself.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Making up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/making%20up. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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