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
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
Whelan had been held for more than five years by Russian authorities on what his family and the U.S. government insisted were trumped up charges of espionage.
—Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 1 Aug. 2024
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
Whelan had been held for more than five years by Russian authorities on what his family and the U.S. government insisted were trumped up charges of espionage.
—Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 1 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trump up
Verb
-
Despite the entrenched ethical norms of the legal profession, educational institutions at every level should devise strategies designed to improve the public’s understanding of government and its critical intersection with the rule of law.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Vince McMahon has devised various gimmicks and names for wrestlers while running WWE over the last several decades.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The near-deal was constructed over the course of months, with Vice President JD Vance’s team negotiating directly with several potential investors and officials from ByteDance.—
Sarah Parvini,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2025
-
François Chollet has constructed the ultimate test for the bots.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Some are concocting nostalgic scrapbooks and others are knitting cozy blankets or adorable sweaters.—
Lauren Thomann,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Mar. 2025
-
At that point, the writers gathered to familiarize themselves (for the first time) with the original show and began concocting various excuses for having big-name stars floating in and out of the Bradys’ new life in Malibu.—
Elaina Patton,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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These date shakes are deliciously creamy concoctions made of milk or ice cream and blended with date crystals invented by Shield’s Date Garden.—
Pat Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Apr. 2025
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My parents bought us an old swing set with a slide way back when (this was before plastic swing sets were invented).—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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On a Reddit post drumming up support for the country-wide April 5 protests—more than 1,000 are planned—one user had their own unequivocal answer to the question of how best to build momentum.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2025
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Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s protégé who succeeded her as RN’s president, launched a petition to drum up support for her.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump%20up. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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