trumping up

verb

present participle of trump up
as in devising
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trumping up
  1. devising
  2. concocting
  3. constructing
  4. inventing
  5. drumming up
  6. making up
Verb
  • With her knack for devising novel solutions to seemingly insoluble problems, no one was better suited for the job.
    — Dean Robbins, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Mungiu may have a less sadistic streak and a more active camera, but the two filmmakers share a particular commitment to narrative indeterminacy, devising intricate yet incomplete crime-story plots that function broadly as sociopolitical allegories.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of devising
Verb
  • After an uneasy initial meeting, the two women unleash a passion neither knew could exist, with Olivia concocting a way for Tamsin to move into the Madden home.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • When the Farmer destroys the flock’s pumpkin patch, Shaun turns mad scientist, concocting a growth potion to put things right.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of concocting
Verb
  • Conservation development is a method of constructing lots and homes closer together on smaller plots, the program states.
    — Marc Hayot, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Fielder has made a career out of constructing elaborate social experiments, like building exact replicas of people’s homes and hiring actors to impersonate their loved ones on The Rehearsal.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of constructing
Verb
  • These are not the moments to be re-inventing the cookware-wheel.
    — Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Drawing, for him, was a way of inhabiting the world, of making a mark in it and, perhaps, of inventing a place for himself there.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of inventing
Verb
  • The Basij boosted its presence during the war, and hard-liners have held nightly rallies in Tehran and other cities, drumming up support and intimidating any possible dissenters.
    — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The Chicago school board voted to add two questions to the November ballot gauging whether city voters would support drumming up new revenue for Chicago Public Schools.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of drumming up
Verb
  • Asia-Pacific is still a small share of Mubadala鈥檚 portfolio, making up 13% of its holdings, against 44% for North America.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Grotto of Massabielle is one of the 22 sites making up the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of making up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

trumping
trumping up
trumps
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Cite this Entry

“Trumping up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trumping%20up. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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