as in devising
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
political spin doctors who can vamp up a justification for just about anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vamping (up)
Verb
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Companies are actively devising strategies to counteract muscle loss in people taking the drugs.—
Isabella Cueto,
STAT,
29 Dec. 2025 -
Sondheim got to work at eight o’clock one night, devising a version of the murder game in which all the players would have to use their wits to untangle the mystery.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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So is facing a deluge of division title-winners who spent the offseason concocting new ways to beat them.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Notably, the computers seem to have a knack for concocting bizarre physics experiments — designs that humans wouldn’t think of, which nevertheless work.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Monument Health plans to use the bond proceeds for acquiring, constructing, renovating, expanding and equipping various health care facilities in the Black Hills region, according to a public notice of the bonding package.—
Joshua Haiar,
States Newsroom,
9 Jan. 2026
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Chipotle Mexican Grill is constructing its athletic roster for 2026.—
Fielding Buck,
Oc Register,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some unnamed Chicago bartender in the early 1880s had the improbable idea of taking a Whiskey Sour and adding a little red wine to the top, inventing in a bizarre flash of insightone of the great warm weather whiskey drinks of our time.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
10 Jan. 2026
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For Gen Z, that could mean inventing new career paths, blending skills across disciplines, or building opportunities rather than waiting for traditional ladders to reappear.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perhaps the only thing capable of drumming up a Bardian level of attention would be for a famous person—probably Julia Fox—walking the red carpet in nothing but a pair of Pleasers.—
Daniel Rodgers,
Vogue,
28 Dec. 2025
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The goal is drumming up awareness and building excitement before a film expands its theatrical footprint.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
21 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Vamping (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vamping%20%28up%29. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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