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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

Another image criticised as an AI fake, shared on Instagram and X, depicted the late country singer without any make-up or a wig.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

In the end, no deal was done – and perhaps the only flaw in Arsenal's current make-up is whether they carry a consistent spearhead threat up front.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Parton sang “I’m just a backwards Barbie / too much make-up, too much hair”, but her image was both a coat of armour and an astute disguise that helped get her noticed in show business.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

"They even have make-up artists to help you," she said as she mounted a crimson superbike, wrapped her arms around her driver and sped off with a videographer in pursuit.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

For generations his ancestors had been bred to retrieve without harming, and there was nothing of the hunter in his make-up; as yet, any killing was abhorrent to him.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford

Medicare Advantage plans make up more than half of all Medicare coverage.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

Residents aged 65 and older currently make up around 30% of the population and are expected to make up nearly 40% by 2070.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

He studied sweat ducts—healthy ones and his own—and discovered that in a CF specimen the sodium and the chloride that make up salt were not re-integrating after being processed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

How many cyclones make up a cluster depends on both location and season, but the researchers found an average of 2.5 cyclones per event.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

She felt fiercely that she had to make up for her father’s criminal disloyalty, if it had existed, whatever it might have been.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein