# gin up

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/gin-up
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to generate or create

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · American English · Informal

to create or produce something, especially when you need to find a way to make it happen.

For teachers: to generate, devise, or create something through effort or ingenuity. Transitive; requires a direct object.

- The company is trying to gin up some new business before the end of the year.
- The marketing department worked overtime to gin up interest in the product launch, despite the lack of a significant advertising budget.

Usage: Always used with a direct object, such as 'business', 'interest', or 'support'.

### 2. to stimulate or incite

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · American English · Informal

to make people feel excited, angry, or interested in something.

For teachers: to stir up, stimulate, or incite enthusiasm or a specific emotional response.

- The politician tried to gin up support for the new law by giving speeches.
- The editorial was clearly designed to gin up outrage among the local residents regarding the proposed tax hike.

### 3. to exaggerate or fake

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · American English · Informal

to make something seem more important or bigger than it really is.

For teachers: to exaggerate or artificially inflate the importance or scale of something.

- Critics say the news report was just trying to gin up a controversy.
- The legal team was accused of trying to gin up a crisis to force a settlement before the trial began.

## Examples

- 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.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.