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
Adjective
-
From there, adding a channel or a more complex use case is a much easier internal sell than asking leadership to approve an unproven investment.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Much of the excitement surrounding the stock involves the promise of unproven technology — Musk’s plan to launch thousands of satellites powered by the sun that would perform artificial intelligence computer calculations in space.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Security firm Varonis devised an exploit chain that was able to catapult over these guardrails.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
16 June 2026
-
The researchers were Stanford psychologists carrying out an experiment on impulse control devised by Walter Mischel.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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The guardian approved fraudulent time sheets, and Davis paid the guardian kickbacks, the release says.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 June 2026
-
And in late 2025, Grady took on Meta (formerly called Facebook), including its affiliates Instagram and Whatsapp, for allowing fraudulent Chinese investment scams on its platforms.—
Shirsho Dasgupta,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Investigators believed Simko met one of the suspects at a cannabis festival in Ann Arbor, where the suspects reportedly concocted a plan to set up a fake business deal and steal what officials said was upwards of 50 pounds of marijuana.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
Blanche, his former personal lawyer, concocted it in staggering disregard of legal ethics.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Parts would be missing, or made-up.—
Kevin Brazil,
Harpers Magazine,
9 June 2026
-
The photos that flooded the internet amidst the Jenner-Levine hype featured Jenner in Paris (not her surgeon’s NYC office), professionally made-up, often wearing large sunglasses, and often filtered.—
Jolene Edgar,
Allure,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Over the next several years, Hartman built up a cattle herd, dug an irrigation ditch, established a dairy and constructed a fish hatchery.—
Kevin Strong,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
Canadarm2 helped build the ISS and supports station activities, and Canadarm3 is a next-generation arm being constructed to support the Artemis program, which saw CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen fly around the moon on Artemis 2 in April.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
12 June 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
Verb
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Fermentation provided a way to preserve foods thousands of years before refrigeration was invented, and it was used to impart unique flavors and textures.—
Anahad O’Connor,
Washington Post,
17 June 2026
-
Remember Bonnie, the adorable five-year-old who inherited Andy’s old toys and, in a stroke of brilliance, invented one of her own by gluing a pair of googly eyes onto a cheap white spork?—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trumped-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trumped-up. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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