as in to devise
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
parents who were always trumping up little projects for their children to do around the house
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Recent Examples of trump up
The funding that currently pays state law enforcement overtime to trump up charges against those suspected.
—
Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Bass insisted the charges were trumped up.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
He was forced to flee the country in the months following the election, due to trumped up conspiracy and terrorism charges presented by the government that would have led to decades in prison.
—Flora Charner, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
She was elected to the country's National Assembly in 2010, only to be expelled four years later on allegations her supporters said were trumped up.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
Although the woman-alien’s powers were trumped up to comedic effect, Estelle could not help but see that beneath its B-movie veneer, Devil Girl from Mars tapped into a looming anxiety that was palpable all around.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Activist groups say the charges against him were trumped up.
—Gabe Levin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
Yes, his relationship with alcohol seems to be not great and complicated, but these charges still seem trumped up to me.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 June 2025
Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Bass insisted the charges were trumped up.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
He was forced to flee the country in the months following the election, due to trumped up conspiracy and terrorism charges presented by the government that would have led to decades in prison.
—Flora Charner, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power.
—Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
She was elected to the country's National Assembly in 2010, only to be expelled four years later on allegations her supporters said were trumped up.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
Although the woman-alien’s powers were trumped up to comedic effect, Estelle could not help but see that beneath its B-movie veneer, Devil Girl from Mars tapped into a looming anxiety that was palpable all around.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Activist groups say the charges against him were trumped up.
—Gabe Levin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
Yes, his relationship with alcohol seems to be not great and complicated, but these charges still seem trumped up to me.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trump up
Verb
-
This long-standing principle originated with Robert Freilich, a consultant hired in the early 1970s by Mayor Pete Wilson to devise a growth management strategy for San Diego.—
Nico Calavita,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Just days after German tanks rolled into Denmark in April 1940, Allied officials huddled to devise ways to protect Ivittuut’s magical mineral.—
Thomas Robertson,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Six of the skiers huddled in a makeshift shelter constructed with tarpaulin sheets.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Inspired by musical festival culture, his design practice is rooted in the expression of haute couture craftsmanship by constructing rich visual narratives and deconstructed techniques with surreal and absurdity coexisting.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Since the advent of TV and radio, public figures have concocted deliberate soundbites to stick out and persuade the public.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
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That all stopped once the dreaded *69 was invented, and with just three buttons people could discover who was on the other end of the line.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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Yet, like Bessette’s relationship with the Kennedy family scion, her eternity band is shrouded in mystery—imperfectly recorded through rumors, second-hand accounts, and myths invented by the press and populace.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Schanelec drums up this particular time period with such focus on the moving parts that we are left knowing that change is the only constant.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Chalamet was vital in drumming up the momentum for the original film, which remained a theatrical draw due to rave reviews and stellar word of mouth.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump%20up. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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