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
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
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
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New uses are continually being devised.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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With no worthy opponents left, Baki and the underground fighters grow restless — until a plan is devised to resurrect Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s greatest swordsman.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Is Mark Zuckerberg constructing a gold mine or a financial sinkhole?—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Mas, the bestselling author of the Villains of Lore and Psycho Shifters series, has a strong historical background to help construct her atmospheric settings.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Before Bridgegate, there was Tollgate in 2011, when Baroni went behind the back of the executive director to conspire with Christie to concoct a phony and fantastically too high 50% toll hike plan, that Christie could knock back and be the hero.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Prosecutors say Brendan Banfield concocted an elaborate scheme to kill his wife, Christine Banfield, and another man, Joseph Ryan, in their family home in February 2023.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Corning has had to re-invent itself time and again to get to this point.—
Katie Tarasov,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
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German's Sweet Baking Chocolate This chocolate was invented by Samuel German, who wanted to help bakers by combining the sugar with the chocolate for ease.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Beyond just growing some of the mangroves , students at New River have banded together to try and drum up community support for the project, particularly the members of the middle school’s Eco-Sharks club, overseen by Grisel Berrios, the school’s STEM teacher.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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Though much has been kept under wraps regarding the project, first-look images and teasers have drummed up increasing interest in Nolan’s take on the ancient poem, which traces Odysseus, King of Ithaca, on his dangerous journey home after the Trojan War.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump%20up. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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