trumped-up 1 of 2

Definition of trumped-upnext

trumped up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of trump up

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trumped-up
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
  • Islam kissed the ethnically and religiously diverse Arab lands and devised an inclusive and innovative formula.
    Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
  • This byzantine corporate structure apparently did not exist until Altman devised it.
    Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Proponents claim many more benefits of using a vibration platform machine, though most benefits are unproven scientifically.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
  • After Wilson, there are unproven options in Adonai Mitchell, Arian Smith and Isaiah Williams.
    Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • After moving his family from Michigan to South Texas in 1905, John Anderson Adams concocted the popular vanilla flavoring product.
    Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Time to grow up and reject belief systems concocted before the invention of clocks and toilet paper.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that 29-year-old Autumn Bardisa, of Palm Coast, entered the guilty plea on Tuesday to unlicensed practice of healthcare and fraudulent use of identification.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
  • But when a version in Farsi emerged indicating Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — key to building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent.
    Bassem Mroue, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • It’s all constructed in a way that makes the tone feel somewhat sad, informed by some of the missions of these characters.
    David John Chávez, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Jackson County could soon take steps aimed to ensure new data centers are not constructed in unincorporated areas of the county, at least temporarily.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
  • That’s because in 101-level art history courses, Duchamp is still taught as the man who invented the readymade, seizing objects that were already out there in the world—urinals and bottle racks, shovels and bicycle wheels—and re-presenting them as sculptures of his own.
    Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
  • California invented modern wellness.
    Markos Kounalakis, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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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Cite this Entry

“Trumped-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trumped-up. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.

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