make something up
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
invent or fabricate something
Literally: create something from nothing
Register: neutral
Examples
She made up a story to explain her absence
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR B1); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “make something up” mean?
invent or fabricate something Literally: create something from nothing
Is “make something up” formal or informal?
make something up is generally neutral.