gin up
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to create or increase interest, support, or excitement for something, often in an artificial way.
phrasal verb. to generate or stimulate interest, support, or activity, typically through deliberate effort or manipulation; often carries a connotation of artificiality or exaggeration.
The company is trying to gin up interest in its new product.
Politicians often try to gin up anger among voters right before an important election to increase turnout.
The marketing department attempted to gin up a sense of urgency through a series of carefully timed social media leaks and limited-time offers.
From gin (short for engine or generate) + up.
From gin (the drink) + up.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
primarily used in political or business contexts regarding support, enthusiasm, or sales.
this is a colorful Americanism; contrast it with 'drum up' which is more common and neutral, whereas 'gin up' can imply the excitement is fake or forced.
They ginned the crowd up.They ginned up the crowd.while technically separable, this phrasal verb is almost always used with the object following the particle 'up'.
Last updated April 24, 2026