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
Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Because of the differences they are labeled as evil, incompetent, corrupt or some other trumped up charge such as antisemitic.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 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
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
But in a statement issued by his attorney, Maluchnik denies all of that, saying the charges have been trumped up.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Because of the differences they are labeled as evil, incompetent, corrupt or some other trumped up charge such as antisemitic.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trumped-up
Verb
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Recently, the field has experienced a sort of renaissance as researchers — many of them astrophysics refugees like Dwyer — have devised new ways to pierce the clouds.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
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Meade, who at the time was eight years into a minimum 10-year prison sentence, devised a plan with co-conspirator Nicholas Umphenour to coordinate his escape from custody.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
5 May 2026
Adjective
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The size of the launcher, the novel and unproven approach, and uncertain funding levels suggest that the 2027 timeline for a debut flight is very ambitious.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
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The search was prompted by soil vapor sampling, an experimental technology that detected volatile organic compounds potentially associated with decomposing human remains — though the method remains unproven in criminal investigations.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Cocktails are concocted by in-house mixologist, Waguinho, who also invites guests from the local mixology community to arrange tastings.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
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For decades, astronomers have concocted intricate computer models to predict how stars live and die.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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EquityProtect reports that reversing a fraudulent title costs victims up to $150,000 in legal fees.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
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Now, rather than fall in line with the stereotypical notions of Housewifedom, Rusch leans into her quirks and remains unflappable no matter what her castmates throw her way — from claiming her divorce was fraudulent to criticizing her potato salad.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Then with five seconds to go before intermission, Watts found the back of the net as Notre Dame constructed an 8-7 lead at the break.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
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The venue was a casually magnificent stone building, constructed in the fifteenth century as a Dominican convent, on a promontory overlooking a sparkling bay.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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During his interview, Newsom spoke about his ongoing and very public feud with Trump, who received the inaugural (and made-up) FIFA Peace Prize in December.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
4 Mar. 2026
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Cook said his team detected a variety of age manipulation: synthetic fraud, in which real, stolen and made-up information is used to create a new identity; identity fraud; and document fraud.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Like many of the state’s greatest musical exports—Selena, Willie Nelson, Beyoncé—Musgraves delights in pushing past invented perimeters to allow other sounds to inform her work.—
Cat Cardenas,
Vogue,
7 May 2026
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The modern electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, was invented in the early 2000s by a Chinese pharmacist in response to his father’s death from lung cancer.—
Mikkael Sekeres,
Washington Post,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Trumped-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trumped-up. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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