ENGLISH
REFERENCE

trump up

idiom
Meaning

To create falsely, to fabricate (particularly applied to accusations, (legal) charges or evidence).

Examples
SIMPLE

They tried to trump up charges against him.

CONTEXTUAL

The corrupt official attempted to trump up evidence to ruin his political rival's reputation.

COMPLEX

Fearing the loss of his authority, the tyrant ordered his guards to trump up a series of treasonous accusations against the innocent scholar.

Anchors to
Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    put someone to their trumps

    To put someone in a difficult situation.

  2. 02

    turn up trumps

    To end up being successful when doing so was uncertain or unlikely.

Last updated April 17, 2026