meɪk ʌp
neutral
beginner
- Base verb:
- make
- Particle:
- up
- Separable:
- Yes
What does "make up" mean?
- To invent a story, excuse, or lie
- To become friends again after an argument
- To form or constitute something
- To apply cosmetics to the face
- To prepare or arrange something
Examples
- He made up an excuse for being late.
- They had a big fight but made up the next day.
- Women make up 60% of our workforce.
- She spent an hour making up her face for the party.
- Can you make up the spare room for our guests?
How to use it
'Make up' has many meanings - context is key. 'Make it up to someone' means to compensate. 'Makeup' (noun) refers to cosmetics. 'Made-up' (adjective) means invented or false.
Word order
For inventing: separable ('make a story up'). For reconciling: not separable ('We made up'). For constituting: not separable ('made up of'). For cosmetics: separable.
Similar expressions
invent
reconcile
compose
constitute
apply makeup
Opposites
tell the truth
argue
separate
Related phrasal verbs
- make out
To see, hear, or understand something with difficulty
- make up for
To compensate for something bad or lost
- make off
To leave quickly, especially to escape
- make over
To change someone's appearance, especially with new clothes and hair
- make for
To move towards a place or thing
- get up
To rise from bed after sleeping
Use it in a practice answer
Try "make up" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.