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• make-up
  make-up

  noun

  cosmetics, such as powder, lipstick, etc, applied to the face to improve its appearance
• make up
  make up

  Put together, construct or compose, as in The druggist made up the prescription , or The tailor said he could make up a suit from this fabric . This usage was first recorded in 1530.

make-up

British  

noun

1. cosmetics, such as powder, lipstick, etc, applied to the face to improve its appearance

2. 1. the cosmetics, false hair, etc, used by an actor to highlight his features or adapt his appearance

   2. the art or result of applying such cosmetics

3. the manner of arrangement of the parts or qualities of someone or something

4. the arrangement of type matter and illustrations on a page or in a book

5. mental or physical constitution

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verb

1. (tr) to form or constitute

   these arguments make up the case for the defence

2. (tr) to devise, construct, or compose, sometimes with the intent to deceive

   to make up a song

   to make up an excuse

3. (tr) to supply what is lacking or deficient in; complete

   these extra people will make up our total

4. (tr) to put in order, arrange, or prepare

   to make up a bed

5. to compensate or atone (for)

   his kindness now makes up for his rudeness yesterday

6. to settle (differences) amicably (often in the phrase make it up )

7. to apply cosmetics to (the face) to enhance one's appearance or so as to alter the appearance for a theatrical role

8. to assemble (type and illustrations) into (columns or pages)

9. (tr) to surface (a road) with asphalt, concrete, etc

10. (tr)

    1. to set in order and balance (accounts)

    2. to draw up (accounting statements)

11. to decide (about something or to do something)

    he made up his mind to take vengeance

12. informal

    1. to make friendly overtures to

    2. to flirt with

make up Idioms  

1. Put together, construct or compose, as in The druggist made up the prescription , or The tailor said he could make up a suit from this fabric . This usage was first recorded in 1530.

2. Constitute, form, as in One hundred years make up a century . [Late 1500s]

3. Change one's appearance; apply cosmetics. For example, He made himself up as an old man . [c. 1800]

4. Devise a fiction or falsehood; invent. For example, Mary is always making up stories for her children , or Is that account true or did you make it up? This usage was first recorded in 1828.

5. Compensate for, provide for a deficiency, as in Can you make up the difference in the bill? or What he lacks in height he makes up in skill . This usage was first recorded in 1538. Also see make up for lost time .

6. Repeat a course, take a test or do an assignment at a later time because of previous absence or failure. For example, Steve will have to make up calculus this summer , or The professor is letting me make up the exam tomorrow .

7. Also, make it up . Resolve a quarrel, as in The Sweeneys argue a lot but they always make up before going to sleep , or Will you two ever make it up? The first usage was first recorded in 1699, the variant in 1669.

8. Put in order, as in We asked them to make up the room for us , or Can you make up another bed in this room? [Early 1800s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with make up .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

make-up make up

In the days leading up to Dussehra in northern India, performers wear elaborate costumes and make-up to stage Ramlila, the dramatic retelling of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

The Welsh actor said he spent about half of his time on the set with the special effects make-up team, transforming into the mutant villain.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

"Dear protesters, since you're being filmed without your consent, try using make-up to dodge surveillance/facial recognition cameras," she said on social media.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Around 10-15% of people with stage two or three bowel cancer have this genetic make-up, equivalent to roughly 2,000-3,000 cases each year in the UK.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

They are considerably less flexible in their mental make-up than other animals that are com­monly trained in circuses and zoos—sea Hons and chimpanzees, for example.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

While ethnic Uyghurs, most of them Muslim, make up the majority of the population in Kashgar and some other parts of Xinjiang, their language is being replaced by Chinese.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Although there are no legal consequences for missing the state’s next target, it would require more reductions and aggressive action in later years to make up for it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

As I wrote about a few weeks ago, naturalized citizens make up about 1 in 10 eligible voters, and nearly a quarter of them live in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Without investing, that extra $500 takes about 12 years to make up the $72,000 head start, so the break-even is roughly 79.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The road to Kucha was better kept, and what we lost in sales at the garrison, we would more than make up for at the wealthy trade center.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

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