Make up meaning
Make up means to be the parts that together form a whole group or amount. It can also mean to invent a story or an excuse, often one that is not true.
make up something
make up · made · making
Women make up more than half of our team.
Make up meanings and examples
4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Be the parts that together form a whole group or amount
make up something
- Women make up more than half of our team.
- Rice makes up most of what they eat.
- What makes up a good lesson, in your opinion?
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2
Invent a story or an excuse, often one that is not true
make something up
- He made up an excuse about a flat tyre.
- That never happened. You made it up!
- My grandma makes up bedtime stories for the kids.
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3
Become friends again after an argument
make up
- They shouted at each other, then made up an hour later.
- Have you made up with your sister yet?
- We never stay angry. We always make up quickly.
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4
Put cream, colour and powder on your face
make somebody up
- The actors were made up in a small room backstage.
- She made herself up before the wedding photos.
- It takes an hour to make up the singer before a show.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use make up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is make up separable?
It depends on the meaning. When make up means invent, it is separable: make up a story, make a story up, make it up. When it means form a whole, the object always comes after: Students make up 70% of the town.
The noun is make-up (UK) or makeup (US), the cream and colour people put on their face. Make up with someone means become friends again.
Verb tenses for make up
| Present | I make up · she makes up |
|---|---|
| Past | made up |
| Present perfect | have made up |
| -ing form | making up |
Common mistakes with make up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I didn’t believe him. I think he made up it.
Right: I didn’t believe him. I think he made it up.
A pronoun goes between make and up.
Wrong: Women make up of half the class.
Right: Women make up half the class.
No of after make up. You can say the class is made up of women and men.
Wrong: We had a fight, but we made up us the next day.
Right: We had a fight, but we made up the next day.
When make up means become friends again, it has no object. Use with for the other person.
Synonyms and opposites of make up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- consist ofsay what something is made of; the whole is the subject
- inventcreate something new, like a story or a machine
- make up fordo something good after something bad happened
Opposite
- fall outstop being friends after an argument
- tell the truthsay what really happened, not a story you invented
Make up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Children ___ about a third of the people in this village.
Make up means be the parts of a whole group.
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2Choose the right sentence.
With a pronoun, it goes between make and up.
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3“They had a big fight, but they made up.” What happened in the end?
Make up after a fight means become friends again.
More phrasal verbs with make
3 phrasal verbs start with make. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Make up FAQ
Questions people ask about make up.
What does make up your mind mean?
It means decide. Have you made up your mind about the job? It is an idiom, so the words stay together like this.
What is the difference between made up of and make up?
They look at the same thing from opposite sides. The team is made up of ten people. Ten people make up the team.
What does made up mean as an adjective?
A made-up story or name is not real. In UK speech, I’m made up can also mean I’m very happy, mostly in the north of England.
Is it make-up or makeup?
Both are fine for the noun. Make-up is more common in UK English, makeup in US English. The verb is always two words: make up.
Use make up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.