as in invented
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as in devised
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 trumped-up
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 Nov. 2023
Erdogan’s government has thrown (or attempted to throw) a number of key political opponents into jail on what critics say are trumped-up, spurious charges.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 10 May 2023
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
Adjective
The charge was clearly trumped-up, but Yundi was immediately taken off all Chinese stages and media and prevented from going abroad.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 Nov. 2023
Erdogan’s government has thrown (or attempted to throw) a number of key political opponents into jail on what critics say are trumped-up, spurious charges.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 10 May 2023
Verb
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trumped-up
Verb
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Each of the three crime stories — performed in English, German and French — was devised in close cooperation with the actors, who played an integral role in developing their own characters, Bauer notes.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
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Organized in a fashion, but loosely so, an outgrowth, in both spirit and practical measure, of the network of express riders devised by Samuel Adams and elevated by Paul Revere.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Hamdan, however, will have his work cut out for him with the Dolphins, a team with a quarterback coming off a dismal season in Tua Tagovailoa and an unproven second-year player in Quinn Ewers.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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Right-handers Chase Dollander, Ryan Feltner, Tanner Gordon, McCade Brown and Gabriel Hughes (who has yet to make his big-league debut) are still relatively raw and unproven.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Paul Simon, who was headed to retirement amid debilitating hearing loss, has concocted a helpful new stage monitor setup that has him back on the road.—
BRIAN MCCOLLUM,
Freep.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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Galen concocted medicines that seem strange to modern ears, such as treating ailments like inflammation with feces sprinkled with thyme to mask the odor.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Trauernicht, the former fire chief, allegedly approved numerous fraudulent paychecks for his female assistant.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
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If convicted, the suspects will have to forfeit to the government any property purchased with proceeds from the fraudulent cattle deals.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Commons is a 108-unit development that was constructed in four phases from 2004 to 2013.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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One of the top reasons was because approximately $110 million would have been invested to build a new Pembroke Pines Police headquarters which is a necessity for a facility originally constructed in the early 1990s.—
Mike Hernández,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
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Vietnam had an imaginary Gulf of Tonkin attack; Trump has made-up drug cartels.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Oftebro, who ran away with gold in the normal and large hill individual events, teamed up with Andreas Skoglund to capture a third medal for the country that invented the sport.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
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This way to pass the time dates back to the 1880s, just a few years after the phone was invented, and started with an undertaker, of all people, getting called to fetch the dead body of a not-so-dead woman.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Supporters of recent state AI regulations said the measures will address potential threats to public safety and personal privacy, and to counter any mendacious actions created by AI, while not hindering innovation.—
Hope Moses,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2026
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In the dry California hills, an intentional community tries to build a pyre for one of its own, and, in the complex and mendacious aftermath, may end up sort of burning down the nation-state.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trumped-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trumped-up. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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