trumped-up
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of trumped-up
Explanation
Something that's trumped-up is faked or fabricated to use as an excuse. You might be tempted to tell your parents a trumped-up story about a mean math teacher to explain a bad grade. When you hear about someone being arrested on "trumped-up charges," that means that they've been falsely accused. There's a sense of exaggeration in this term, as well—if your excuse for being late is trumped-up, you're concocting extra details to make it sound more impressive. Trumped-up was first recorded in the early 18th century, and it comes from the idiomatic trump up, "devise deceitfully or dishonestly."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Paul Dacre, Associated Newspapers' editor-in-chief and ex-Daily Mail editor, said the action had been "trumped-up" adding it "should never have been brought to trial".
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
But I am frustrated as a medical doctor that a complex issue like fertility—and the trumped-up threat of small penises and “population collapse”—was hijacked without scientific merit as the main argument against plastic.
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026
Mr. Lai has been in prison on trumped-up charges ever since.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025
Whether future Cannes controversies await — major or minor, trumped-up or genuine — remains to be seen.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2023
At the very last second, just as Charles was nearing victory, the batty billionaire disqualified him on a trumped-up technicality.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
