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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Yes, a new model was devised that showed how a modern economy could sustain a large middle-class society that shared in its general prosperity and great progress.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Deep listening is a practice devised by composer Pauline Oliveros.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Cowing and Watkins are still unproven commodities, and Robinson’s wild-card outburst in Philadelphia seems an outlier.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But online, peptides typically refer to unproven drugs, often given by injection, that are peddled without evidence as treating various conditions, reversing aging, and improving appearance.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fortunately, Sanctions balances its downer tendencies with moments of levity and peculiar arrangements that only Souled American could have concocted.—
Zach Schonfeld,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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Now Jasmine is in the middle of the second fight she’s concocted out of nowhere in one episode.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The state agency that oversees Medicaid has been under scrutiny after the discovery of millions of dollars in potentially fraudulent payments.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The documents describe an elaborate hoax in which the defendants allegedly created fake companies and fraudulent email accounts and driver’s licenses to help fool lenders into loaning them huge sums of money.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pain is ultimately constructed by the brain, and one of the best pieces of evidence neuroscience has for that is phantom limb pain.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
17 Apr. 2026
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The gap shows up clearly in how the CPI is constructed.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 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
-
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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And Tae Bo was invented by a guy named Billy Blanks, also from Erie, Pennsylvania.—
Nate Sloan,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The virologist who invented the first polio vaccine.—
Marcy Thompson,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2026.
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