fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfa-bri-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

transitive verb

1

a

: invent, create

b

: to make up for the purpose of deception

accused of fabricating evidence

2

: construct, manufacture

specifically : to construct from diverse and usually standardized parts

Their plan is to fabricate the house out of synthetic parts.

fabricator

ˈfa-bri-ˌkā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• fashion
• form
• frame
• make
• manufacture
• produce

Examples of fabricate in a Sentence

Only the largest parts were fabricated at the factory.

Their plan is to fabricate the house out of synthetic materials.

a story fabricated to sell magazines

She was accused of fabricating data.

Recent Examples on the Web

Breaking eggs to make an omelet Starbase is an industrial installation built by SpaceX to fabricate and test a number of the company’s rocket types. —Robert A. Kopack, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025

Los Angeles fires Claim: Image shows car, mansions burned during California wildfires Our rating: Manipulated media The image is fabricated and originated from the Instagram account of an artist who labeled it that way. —Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2025

The alleged tweet was fabricated, and no credible evidence supports the idea that Trump or his media company plans to acquire TikTok. —Jesus Mesa, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025

For example, Houston artist Mel Chin fabricated a saddle out of barbed wire to represent the colonization and enslavement of native people. —Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fabricaten, borrowed from Latin fabricātus, past participle of fabricāre, fabricārī "to fashion, shape, construct," derivative of fabrica "process of making something, craft, art" — more at fabric

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfab-ri-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

1

: invent sense 2, create

2

: to make up in order to deceive

fabricated evidence to support her claim

3

: construct sense 1, manufacture

fabrication

ˌfab-ri-ˈkā-shən

noun

fabricator

ˈfab-ri-ˌkāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

fabricate

verb

fab·​ri·​cate ˈfa-brə-ˌkāt 

fabricated; fabricating

transitive verb

: to make up (as testimony) with an intent to deceive

intransitive verb

: to make something up with an intent to deceive

there was a motive to fabricate

—Gary Taylor