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Synonyms

think up

British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to invent or devise

    to think up a plan
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
think up Idioms  

  1. Devise, contrive by thinking, as in She's an expert at thinking up interesting programs. [Mid-1800s]

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.

When asked whether he’d had any doubts about the feasibility of the intricately choreographed construction project, Hyman replied, “I think up until about last week.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

It’s about as dramatic a business narrative as you could think up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

"The chancellor is tying herself in knots trying to think up new ways to grow our economy," Sir Ed said.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2025

And I think up to a point he left it up to Tiger, and Tiger chose to really go with the talent.

From Salon • Jul. 13, 2024

I was trying to think up a sob story for the waitress when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

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.