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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trump up
Verb
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Last summer, researchers devised a method to translate internal representations of sentences from one language model to another.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Jan. 2026
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Of all the schemes that humans have devised to keep sea lions from gorging on the salmon of the Columbia River basin, none has worked for long.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The first step was finding a flat area in the front yard that would allow them to both construct the igloo and freeze the blocks.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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This week, massive wind turbine blades, towers and other components could be seen sitting at the Connecticut State Pier in New London — waiting to be taken out to sea and constructed.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Joseph’s schemes and ability to concoct defensive chemistry are major reasons Denver (14-3) earned the AFC’s top seed, a first-round bye, and a date with the Bills in the divisional playoffs on Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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Let natural greenery rule in tall vases, design a whole table setting on a new color, or concoct a signature drink that matches the theme in color and flavor.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What a slap in the face to the folks who’ve studied, who’ve researched, who’ve invented, who’ve saved lives, who’ve fought for their lives, who’ve lost their lives, who’ve devoted their lives to keeping that last group as small as possible.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
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Those are not our gestures; those were invented by these wonderful actors.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fits in regards to role and skillset are questioned on every roster and trade ideas are drummed up for solutions to problems that may not even necessarily exist.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
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On Monday, proponents rallied outside the Capitol to drum up support.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump%20up. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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