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

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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"

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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 Consumer payments and subscriptions remain the core of the business, contributing 85% to 90% of revenue across the forecast period, with subscriptions already making up 60% to 70% of viewer spend. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026 From female directors making up 18-19 percent of film production to more than 30 percent. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for making up

Verb

The school’s most recent 990 filing, covering the year ended June 30, 2025, shows a Menlo Venture Capital Endowment comprising approximately 36 individual investments in venture capital partnerships and early stage companies.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026
Even last season, Emery would field starting XIs comprising eight or nine players who predated his arrival.

— Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of comprising

Verb

Sarah Sherman Samuel is known for devising furniture worthy of an art show, and the Lulu and Georgia Hamilton sideboard is no exception.

— Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 July 2026
Ten years on, after devising the victorious Trojan Horse gambit, Ulysses attempts to return to Ithaca and the pining Penelope, whose palace has been overrun with scheming suitors seeking her hand.

— Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2026

Definition of devising

Verb

Patel, whose company is building infrastructure supporting the AI boom, expects AI agents to go mainstream, allowing demand to continue its explosive growth.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
But since Oliver Glasner’s appointment, the Austrian has been working with McAtee — who had already spent the summer working on building his physique — on operating in a deeper role.

— Paul Taylor, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of building

Verb

MarcAurele worked with former Second City director Alan Kliffer to turn three frenzied weeks of writing and composing into a one-night-only concert.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026
The two immediately bonded over ambient music, tape loops, orchestral composition and drone, forging a friendship that soon extended into touring, live performance and eventually composing together.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 31 July 2026

Definition of composing

Verb

Ghost also accused Wilson and her PR team of concocting a smear campaign against her.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026
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

Definition of concocting

Verb

Ground crews are carrying out manual firefighting, cooling operations, patrols and constructing firebreaks to prevent the flames from spreading further.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
China is building a lunar base Upon completion of its first base on the Moon in 2035, China will move ahead and extend its footprint by constructing a larger orbiting complex by 2045.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of constructing

Verb

Much of the sector’s value creation came not from inventing a superior solar panel, but from figuring out customer acquisition, installation, asset financing and long-term ownership.

— Rob Day, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Aguilar has been inventing these sorts of basic, accessible, potentially endless series for years.

— Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of inventing

Verb

The project will add domestic capacity for assembling, integrating, and testing Wärtsilä engines used for ship propulsion and auxiliary power.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Nvidia is assembling a $500 billion pot from a who’s who of Wall Street firms which will, in turn, backstop OpenAI’s lease of a SoftBank data center in Ohio and help startups rent access to Nvidia’s chips from CoreWeave.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026