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• stitch-up
  stitch-up

  noun

  a scheme of deception that exploits or falsely incriminates someone, possibly leading to a false arrest; a setup.
• stitch up
  stitch up

  verb

  to join or mend by means of stitches or sutures

stitch-up

American  

[stich-uhp] / ˈstɪtʃˌʌp /

noun

British Informal.

1. a scheme of deception that exploits or falsely incriminates someone, possibly leading to a false arrest; a setup.

   These allegations against the mayor are part of an outrageous stitch-up.

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stitch up British  

verb

1. to join or mend by means of stitches or sutures

2. slang

   1. to incriminate (someone) on a false charge by manufacturing evidence

   2. to betray, cheat, or defraud

3. slang to prearrange (something) in a clandestine manner

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noun

1. slang a matter that has been prearranged clandestinely

Etymology

Origin of stitch-up

First recorded in 1980–85; stitch ( def. ) + up ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stitch-up stitch up

Team Sussex might already have expected a tough press for their trip to the UK and their supporters feel that the media's treatment of Harry and Meghan is the biggest stitch-up since the Bayeux Tapestry.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

"We're convinced it was going to be a stitch-up", remembers Test Match Special's Jonathan Agnew, who had joined the touring party in Calcutta after Paul Allott had to return home with a back injury.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2024

Because these snarls are the product of decisions made years ago and solving them requires more than some quick stitch-up work, short-term reactions are "usually too little, too late," Hopp said.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2022

"The company has refused to give assurances on the future operational role of the guard, fuelling fears amongst our members of a stitch-up," he said.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2019

Here’s a stitch-up of a work colleague, albeit an accidental one.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 7, 2012

In 1951, he published the first royal tell-all memoir, A King’s Story, which flew off the shelves and painted him as a victim of an establishment stitch up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

The violence Sunday underscores the challenge ahead for Lula as he attempts to stitch up the stark divide here after the closest election in the country’s history.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 10, 2023

A source close to Ms Truss dismissed Mr Burns's claim that the investigation had been a "stitch up".

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2022

"We will stitch up the wounds and the pain of our country and our city," said Aliev, a 23-year-old musician.

From Reuters ● Mar. 14, 2022

Mom took me to the hospital to stitch up the cut on my hand.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson