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
  • In 1983, Bennett and Brassard devised a new quantum approach to private communication.
    Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 18 Mar. 2026
  • The problem is, this is just the most powerful tool that’s ever been devised.
    Brian Welk, IndieWire, 18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Marshall and Bonner have talent, but are raw and unproven NFL players, which is how this entire unit can be described.
    Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
  • More practical encryption schemes avoided the need for in-person meetings but relied on unproven assumptions about the difficulty of certain math problems.
    Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Wholesome content, but entirely concocted.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
  • An epoxy compound is concocted to replace discs between vertebrae and other cartilaginous elements, so the animal returns to its original dimensions and structure.
    Jeff Wilson, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Regardless of whether the debt is fraudulent, that check can provide a more confident understanding of what’s going on.
    William Tong, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Smith earned millions of dollars from his fraudulent streams, siphoning off royalties from the legitimate artists in the royalty pool.
    Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • After the 15th Street bike lanes were constructed, bicycle injury crashes decreased by 91 percent, according to the District Department of Transportation.
    Liam Scott, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2026
  • One flirts and drinks and dallies and dances; the other is part child, part monk, his mantel packed with icons and crucifixes, his inner landscape a kind of mental Sagrada Família — a weird and extraordinary edifice constructed around the rigors and promises of Christianity.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Mar. 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
  • The sandwich was invented, or at least identified, in the late 1700s.
    Dominic Green, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Families facing those diagnoses can’t wait decades for something new to be invented from scratch.
    Annette Bakker, Fortune, 19 Mar. 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 23 Mar. 2026.

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