MAKING UP Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

making up

verb

present participle of make up

as in comprising

to be all the substance of the book is made up of 20 chapters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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 In 2021, Atrium’s presentation to the city and counted said a majority of the units would be for those making up to 50% AMI. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026 Medicaid now covers families making up to 138% of the federal poverty level. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 25 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for making up

Verb

Now, Cutting Edge Group (CEG), an investor in and manager of media music rights, has acquired the music rights and royalty streams to Tyler’s catalog of blockbuster film and TV scores, comprising more than 60,000 minutes.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
This is followed by a panel comprising TIFF programmer Diana Cadavid, Puerto Rico Film Festival’s Lester Rive and Patricia Velázquez of the Costa Rica Film Festival who will discuss how festivals drive talent, industry and audiences.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 13 July 2026

Definition of comprising

Verb

Amid this growth, banks continue to spend enormous sums to protect the savings of their customers from all manner of fraudsters intent on devising ways to separate Americans from their savings.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Ammons is accused of devising a scheme dating back to 2017 to defraud the state that included directing state and federal funds to organizations that then paid her daughter.

— Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026

Definition of devising

Verb

That includes more than $1 billion to renovate the troubled Rice Street jail and a $300 million commitment to building a new hospital in southern Fulton County.

— Shaddi Abusaid, AJC.com, 16 July 2026
Yet Alpine’s new architecture has been developed entirely without building expensive prototypes and refining them with any track testing until this point.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 July 2026

Definition of building

Verb

Dundas established his own recording studio and began composing film scores; Aherne headed to the United States and released a solo project; and Greer became a teacher.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2026
Anthony Hopkins isn’t just an Oscar-winning actor — for decades, he’s been composing music in addition to his acting roles.

— Pat Saperstein, Variety, 10 July 2026

Definition of composing

Verb

And she’s spent a decade scaling her brand into an industry disrupter; Ellsworth began concocting prebiotic drinks in 2015, founding her business just one year later.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 11 May 2026
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

Definition of concocting

Verb

The project included replacing sections of the penstock, installing new vent piping and constructing a new concrete thrust block.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2026
Success will depend less on constructing facilities than on securing long-term buyers, trusted regulators, technology transfer, and patient capital that can sustain long-term production.

— Paul Adepoju, semafor.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of constructing

Verb

That is why leaders should think less about inventing a universal definition of fun and more about designing experiences that fit the people actually in the room.

— Rick Tollakson, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Like, how much of this is Musk doing stuff, inventing stuff, innovating stuff?

— Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026

Definition of inventing

Verb

Recipe Tips for Sailor Sandwich Browning the pastrami and knockwurst before assembling the sandwich builds flavor and removes moisture from the meats, which helps keep the bread crisp.

— Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 15 July 2026
The company is now assembling the Starcloud-2 mission, a 450 kg satellite with 8 kW of power generation.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026