WordLens

make up

1 of 1verb
/ˈmeɪk ʌp/
Forms:makes up,making up,made up,made up
1

to create a false or fictional story or information

  • The gossip columnist made rumors up about the celebrities.
  • The writer made up a fantasy novel about dragons and elves.
  • The politician made up excuses to avoid answering the reporter's questions.
  • The con artist made up a fake identity to deceive people.
  • The child made up a story about their imaginary friend.
2

to create something by combining together different parts or ingredients

  • The mechanic made up the car from spare parts.
  • The carpenter made up the table from wood and nails.
  • The teacher made up the lesson plan from different activities and materials.
  • The artist made up the collage from different pieces of paper.
  • The musician made up the band from different musicians.
Synonyms:
representbecompriseconstitute
3

to arrange, organize, or prepare a bed or room

  • She made up the bed by smoothing out the sheets and blankets and placing the pillows neatly.
  • He made up the room by putting away the clothes, straightening the furniture, and dusting the surfaces.
  • The housekeeper made up the guest room in preparation for the arrival of the visitors.
  • He made his bed up after breakfast.
  • The housekeeper made up the beds every morning.
Synonyms:
make
4

to apply cosmetics or beauty products to enhance or alter one's appearance

  • He made his face up for the Halloween party, creating a scary and impressive transformation.
  • He made up his eyes to look more dramatic.
  • The actress made up her face to look like a different person for the role.
  • The model made up her face for the photoshoot.
  • She made up her face in a natural way, emphasizing her natural beauty.
5

to become friends with someone once more after ending a quarrel with them

  • The siblings made up after their argument and started playing together again.
  • I know they had a big fight, but I'm sure they'll make it up soon.
  • They're trying to make up with their parents after their fight.
  • I hope that you and your brother can make up soon.
  • The friends made up after their misunderstanding and apologized to each other.
Synonyms:
conciliatesettlepatch upreconcile
6

to replace something lost or compensate for something done

  • The friend made up for the hurt they caused by offering a sincere apology.
  • She made it up to him by giving him a thoughtful gift.
  • The child made up for their mischief by helping with chores.
  • The company made it up to their customers by offering a free upgrade.
  • The company made up for the delay in delivery by offering a discount.
Synonyms:
pay offcompensatepay
7

to form the whole or a part of something

  • The majority of the workforce is made up of women.
  • This class is made up of students from diverse backgrounds.
  • The team is made up of experienced professionals and talented newcomers.
  • The audience at the concert was made up of fans from all age groups.
  • Minorities make a significant portion of the population up.
8

to create a medicinal substance by mixing different ingredients

  • The pharmacist made up a prescription for the patient.
  • The herbalist made up a remedy from natural ingredients.
  • The doctor made up a solution to treat the infection.
  • The chemist made up a new formula for the experiment.
  • The scientist is trying to make a vaccine up to prevent the disease.
9

to complete or assemble something by adding the remaining parts or members

  • The final team member didn't arrive, so we had to make up the numbers with someone else.
  • They needed two more pieces to make up the whole puzzle.
  • She helped make up the shortfall in funds for the charity event.
  • We need to make up five more pages in the report before submission.
  • The last students arrived just in time to make up the class size.