fabrication
Americannoun
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the act or process of fabricating; manufacture.
-
something fabricated, especially an untruthful statement.
His account of the robbery is a complete fabrication.
Synonym Usage
See fiction.
Etymology
Origin of fabrication
First recorded in 1475–1500; from Latin fabricātiōn- (stem of fabricātiō ). See fabricate, -ion
Explanation
A fabrication is something made up, like a lie. Telling your boss that the subway broke down when in fact you just forgot to set your alarm is a fabrication. The word fabrication was originally used to talk about manufacturing or construction, and it referred to the act of assembling something. Tires and steering wheels are necessary materials for automobile fabrication. Nowadays, the word fabrication is usually used to refer to the act of coming up with a story out of thin air. In this sense, a book of fiction is a fabrication, as is the lie you tell your girlfriend to explain why you forgot her birthday (again).
Vocabulary lists containing fabrication
A Web of Lies
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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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Bronx Masquerade
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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.
The White House issued a terse statement, calling the purported MOU draft a "complete fabrication".
From BBC • May 28, 2026
He said that the Commerce Department’s investment marks a “bold step” to secure “U.S. supremacy and competitiveness through developing at-scale fabrication and device capabilities.”
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
Suppliers like Sandisk want to plan and operate fabrication plants at high capacity over a long time horizon.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
Heavy investment is required to build a fabrication plant, or fab.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
Mother’s fabrication is so elaborate I can hardly describe it.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
