trumped-up

American  

[truhmpt-uhp] / ˈtrʌmptˈʌp /

adjective

1. spuriously devised; fraudulent; fabricated.

   He was arrested on some trumped-up charge.

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Etymology

Origin of trumped-up

1720–30; special use of trump ¹; see -ed ²

Explanation

Something that's trumped-up is faked or fabricated to use as an excuse. You might be tempted to tell your parents a trumped-up story about a mean math teacher to explain a bad grade. When you hear about someone being arrested on "trumped-up charges," that means that they've been falsely accused. There's a sense of exaggeration in this term, as well—if your excuse for being late is trumped-up, you're concocting extra details to make it sound more impressive. Trumped-up was first recorded in the early 18th century, and it comes from the idiomatic trump up, "devise deceitfully or dishonestly."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trumped-up

A few years ago, my godfather was jailed on trumped-up “anticonversion” charges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

But I am frustrated as a medical doctor that a complex issue like fertility—and the trumped-up threat of small penises and “population collapse”—was hijacked without scientific merit as the main argument against plastic.

From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026

Instead, they were arrested on trumped-up obscenity charges and subjected to expensive litigation before the case against them was thrown out for lack of evidence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

One of them, ex-presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka, was sentenced in 2021 to 14 years in prison on corruption charges, which his supporters say were trumped-up.

From BBC ● May 10, 2023

At the very last second, just as Charles was nearing victory, the batty billionaire disqualified him on a trumped-up technicality.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein