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
And, while the charges were most likely trumped up, the city’s leaders were correct about one thing: Young people are highly suggestible.
—
Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025
The work was banned by the Malian Ministry of Culture and Cissé was arrested and jailed on trumped up charges of accepting French funding.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Human rights groups and some Western countries have accused Iran of trying to win concessions from other nations through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up.
—Fox News, 19 Feb. 2025
The Pennsylvania native was sentenced to 14 years on a drug smuggling charge that his family has said was trumped up, and the U.S. had called for his humanitarian release.
—Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2025
In the stage show, set in Argentina in 1983, political prisoner Valentín Arregui is transferred to a cell already occupied by Luis Molina, a gay window dresser convicted on trumped up charges of public indecency.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, a growing number of Russian citizens has been arrested on trumped up charges and later accused of crimes, such as treason, that would justify a more serious sentence.
—Francesca Mastruzzo (tr. Elettra Pauletto), The Dial, 14 Jan. 2024
Some of those on sent to the island, had been arrested on trumped up charges, or false accusations aimed at settling old scores, while the prison population also included hardened criminals.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Dec. 2024
In announcing the pardon, the president essentially claimed—without acknowledging the irony in his words—that the charges against this son were somehow trumped up by his own Justice Department.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025
The work was banned by the Malian Ministry of Culture and Cissé was arrested and jailed on trumped up charges of accepting French funding.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Human rights groups and some Western countries have accused Iran of trying to win concessions from other nations through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up.
—Fox News, 19 Feb. 2025
The Pennsylvania native was sentenced to 14 years on a drug smuggling charge that his family has said was trumped up, and the U.S. had called for his humanitarian release.
—Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2025
In the stage show, set in Argentina in 1983, political prisoner Valentín Arregui is transferred to a cell already occupied by Luis Molina, a gay window dresser convicted on trumped up charges of public indecency.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, a growing number of Russian citizens has been arrested on trumped up charges and later accused of crimes, such as treason, that would justify a more serious sentence.
—Francesca Mastruzzo (tr. Elettra Pauletto), The Dial, 14 Jan. 2024
Some of those on sent to the island, had been arrested on trumped up charges, or false accusations aimed at settling old scores, while the prison population also included hardened criminals.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Dec. 2024
In announcing the pardon, the president essentially claimed—without acknowledging the irony in his words—that the charges against this son were somehow trumped up by his own Justice Department.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trump up
Verb
-
Alison devises a plan to escape her creative paralysis.—
Charlie Tyson,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
-
Monthly sessions focus on topics such as devising a business strategy and developing leadership skills.—
James Simms,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2025
-
Even in cities like New York, where nearly every square inch is already built up, developers are constantly knocking things down and constructing new buildings, giving them a chance to create a different kind of trash system.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 June 2025
Verb
-
Essentially, people are challenging themselves to concoct the most atrociously belligerent bass in history.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2025
-
In second place is Jeff (Ramy Youssef), an AI guru getting a lot of love from the public sector about an anti-deepfake filter his company has concocted.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 May 2025
Verb
-
It’s been said that Brian invented the state of California, the state of mind.—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
-
Wall Street occasionally invents merry-go-rounds that work for a while but lack obvious exit strategies.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
The purpose of the book is to take her real life business experience, explain it to her market and, of course, drum up business.—
David A. Teich,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
-
Infantino went as far as calling a briefing with global TV executives last September in an attempt to drum up interest.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump%20up. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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