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
Activist groups say the charges against him were trumped up.
—
Gabe Levin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
Yes, his relationship with alcohol seems to be not great and complicated, but these charges still seem trumped up to me.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 June 2025
In their response, Petrova’s attorneys accused the government of trumping up criminal charges in a bid to prevent her bail and motions from being heard in federal court.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 28 May 2025
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
Gabe Levin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
Yes, his relationship with alcohol seems to be not great and complicated, but these charges still seem trumped up to me.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 June 2025
In their response, Petrova’s attorneys accused the government of trumping up criminal charges in a bid to prevent her bail and motions from being heard in federal court.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 28 May 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trump up
Verb
-
This ignores a fundamental problem of innovation and inventiveness, which is that many of the innovative geniuses who devised transformative inventions failed to profit financially from their own ingenuity while more aggressive, entrepreneurial bystanders claimed credit and profit.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 July 2025
-
The breath-freshener smell that Marks had devised was a combination of laurel leaves—peculiar to the modern sensibility, but not off-putting—and musk.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
For instance, reforms to Virginia’s Building Code lowered the cost of constructing a new home by over $24,000.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
Available in 17 colors and in sizes up to a men’s 16, these flip-flops are constructed with squishy yoga mat footbeds that provide arch support and prevent foot fatigue while walking for long periods of time.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
For its 86th summer season, Del Mar has concocted a schedule filled with food-centric festivities, sips, handicapping and tips, blended in with world-class thoroughbred racing.—
Kelley Carlson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 July 2025
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At the end of the semester, Domokos asked him to concoct a simple algorithm to explore how tetrahedra balance.—
Elise Cutts,
Quanta Magazine,
25 June 2025
Verb
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As the answers to these questions emerge, your brand isn't invented; it's just revealed.—
Maha Abouelenein,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
Trump didn’t invent that, but no other politician has ever devoted himself to widening that gulf between the two factions with such maniacal commitment.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
Marks was also able to confidently drum up a smell approximating that of Marie Antoinette’s garden at the Petit Trianon, because historians know which flowers were planted there.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
10 July 2025
-
The goal is to drum up enough interest that hospitals sign up for visits, allowing the endeavor to expand to build more trucks ultimately serving up to 100 hospitals.—
Amber Hunt,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trump up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trump%20up. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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