making everything up

USAGE SUMMARY

Making everything up is a perfectly correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it to describe an act of fabrication or embellishment, particularly when it's done in a playful or creative way. For example: We had so much fun making everything up as we went along during our role-playing game.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

10 human-written examples

How can I be sure that the announcers aren't just making everything up, like Orson Welles did with his famous exploding-blimp broadcast?

The New Yorker

Novelists spend all day making everything up, so it's no wonder that from time to time they are stricken with reality-envy.

The Guardian - Books

"Danke Schoen" was somewhat choreographed but for "Twist and Shout", Broderick said, "we were just making everything up".

Wikipedia

This time, I am making everything up.

Independent

They told everybody that you were liars, that you were making everything up.

The Guardian

When rockets scraped the sky he was the space age prophet, authentic because he was unencumbered by authority, true because he was making everything up.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

And once again, I found myself making everything up--the setting, the characters, the dialogue, finishing it, handing it in, passing it off as fact.

Huffington Post

"It's much easier to write fiction," she says, "because you can just make everything up".

The New York Times

"It's much easier to write fiction, because you can just make everything up," she said, looking toward the opulent view.

The New York Times

Macon (Brenda Withers), the brunette, soon arrives, bearing a basket full of biscuits — Bess is starving — and an adorably brash, adventure-hungry personality ("I'm gonna make everything up as I go!") as big as the unexplored West.

The New York Times

I never write anything factual, for that matter — I always make everything up.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "making everything up" in creative writing, ensure it aligns with the character's voice and the story's tone. For instance, a whimsical character might playfully "make everything up", while a more serious character might be accused of doing so with negative implications.

Common error

Avoid using "making everything up" when the context requires a more formal or serious term like "falsifying information" or "fabricating evidence", which carry legal or ethical implications.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "making everything up" is that of a gerund phrase, often serving as a noun. It describes the act of creating something from one's imagination. Ludwig confirms its common usage.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Wiki

16%

Science

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "making everything up" is a common and grammatically sound gerund phrase used to describe the act of creating something from imagination or fabrication. Ludwig confirms its validity and frequent usage across various contexts, particularly in News & Media and Wiki sources. While versatile, it's important to consider the context and audience to ensure appropriate tone and formality. When more precise or formal language is needed, alternatives like "fabricating stories" or "inventing details" can be more suitable.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fabricating stories

Emphasizes the act of creating false narratives.

inventing details

Highlights the creation of specific, often embellished, information.

concocting tales

Suggests a creative and imaginative process of story creation.

spinning yarns

Implies a folksy or informal way of telling stories, often exaggerated.

creating fictions

Focuses on the act of producing fictional content.

exaggerating facts

Involves stretching the truth rather than complete fabrication.

embellishing accounts

Highlights the adding of decorative or fictitious details to existing accounts.

falsifying information

Emphasizes the act of deliberately providing false data.

distorting reality

Implies changing or twisting the perception of what is real.

romancing the truth

Suggests making the truth more appealing or interesting, often through exaggeration or fiction.

FAQs

How can I use "making everything up" in a sentence?

You can use "making everything up" to describe creating something from imagination, like "The novelist was accused of "fabricating stories"" or "The child enjoyed "inventing details" during playtime".

What can I say instead of "making everything up"?

You can use alternatives like "fabricating stories", "inventing details", or "concocting tales" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "making everything up" or "fabricating everything"?

"Making everything up" is generally used in informal contexts or when referring to creative endeavors. "Fabricating everything" is more formal and implies creating something false or deceitful. It may be more appropriate in legal or factual contexts.

What's the difference between "making everything up" and "exaggerating the facts"?

"Making everything up" implies creating a story or information from scratch, while "exaggerating the facts" means taking existing information and embellishing or distorting it.