as in to devise
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 trump up
And, while the charges were most likely trumped up, the city’s leaders were correct about one thing: Young people are highly suggestible.
—
Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025
The work was banned by the Malian Ministry of Culture and Cissé was arrested and jailed on trumped up charges of accepting French funding.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Human rights groups and some Western countries have accused Iran of trying to win concessions from other nations through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up.
—Fox News, 19 Feb. 2025
The Pennsylvania native was sentenced to 14 years on a drug smuggling charge that his family has said was trumped up, and the U.S. had called for his humanitarian release.
—Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2025
In the stage show, set in Argentina in 1983, political prisoner Valentín Arregui is transferred to a cell already occupied by Luis Molina, a gay window dresser convicted on trumped up charges of public indecency.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, a growing number of Russian citizens has been arrested on trumped up charges and later accused of crimes, such as treason, that would justify a more serious sentence.
—Francesca Mastruzzo (tr. Elettra Pauletto), The Dial, 14 Jan. 2024
Some of those on sent to the island, had been arrested on trumped up charges, or false accusations aimed at settling old scores, while the prison population also included hardened criminals.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Dec. 2024
In announcing the pardon, the president essentially claimed—without acknowledging the irony in his words—that the charges against this son were somehow trumped up by his own Justice Department.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025
The work was banned by the Malian Ministry of Culture and Cissé was arrested and jailed on trumped up charges of accepting French funding.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Human rights groups and some Western countries have accused Iran of trying to win concessions from other nations through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up.
—Fox News, 19 Feb. 2025
The Pennsylvania native was sentenced to 14 years on a drug smuggling charge that his family has said was trumped up, and the U.S. had called for his humanitarian release.
—Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2025
In the stage show, set in Argentina in 1983, political prisoner Valentín Arregui is transferred to a cell already occupied by Luis Molina, a gay window dresser convicted on trumped up charges of public indecency.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, a growing number of Russian citizens has been arrested on trumped up charges and later accused of crimes, such as treason, that would justify a more serious sentence.
—Francesca Mastruzzo (tr. Elettra Pauletto), The Dial, 14 Jan. 2024
Some of those on sent to the island, had been arrested on trumped up charges, or false accusations aimed at settling old scores, while the prison population also included hardened criminals.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Dec. 2024
In announcing the pardon, the president essentially claimed—without acknowledging the irony in his words—that the charges against this son were somehow trumped up by his own Justice Department.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trump up
Verb
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Directors: Scout Purdy & Doug Purdy After a series of revelations, 15-year-old Joe devises a plan to cure her teen angst: a month-long pilgrimage filled with communication issues, terrible survival skills, and zero Wi-Fi—AKA a summer hiking trip with her father.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
22 May 2025
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Cabinet secretaries were sidelined, and staff members devised elaborate strategies to avoid placing him in situations that might expose his decline.—
Doug Friednash,
Denver Post,
21 May 2025
Verb
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The eye-catching chair comes in six stunning shades, including sage and cornflower blue, and is constructed with soft boucle fabric, a solid wood base, and a 360-degree swivel base to easily spin around and pivot from person to person when guests are over.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
3 June 2025
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Water After constructing your melon pit, water the area thoroughly and deeply.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Desperate to revive his reputation, Zach gains the trust of nerdy outcast Laney (Cook) to concoct a vain scheme to turn her into the next prom queen.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
30 May 2025
-
Toronto worked back from an early deficit but couldn’t concoct another comeback win, falling to 22-24 on the season.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Verb
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In 1948, photography and instant gratification converged when Edwin H. Land invented the first Polaroid camera.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
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The purpose of life wasn’t invented by the individual — it was discovered in scripture.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Verb
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After weeks of teasers — including behind-the-scenes shots of Jenna Ortega swiping it on before the Met Gala and promos on TikTok featuring Jisoo — this little tube of tinted lip balm has drummed up plenty of anticipation online.—
Claire Sullivan,
Footwear News,
22 May 2025
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The Maurice Falk Medical Fund, under the leadership of former ambulance driver Philip Hallen, helped drum up support for the program, which soon signed a contract with the City of Pittsburgh.—
Lillian Ali,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump%20up. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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