think up
B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To use your imagination to create a new idea or excuse.
Literal meaning: To pull an idea upward from your mind, as if lifting it into existence.
Meanings
1 B1 informal
To invent or create a new idea, plan, or name through creative thinking.
"The team thought up a brilliant marketing slogan overnight."
Grammar: separable
2 B1
idiomatic
informal
To invent an excuse or false explanation.
"He thought up some story about his car breaking down to explain why he was late."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Slightly informal; more common in spoken English. Often carries a positive connotation of creativity, but can also suggest something fabricated (an excuse). Common with 'idea', 'plan', 'name', and 'story'.
Commonly used with
idea plan excuse name solution story
Forms
Base
think up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
thinks up
he/she/it
Past simple
thought up
yesterday
Past participle
thought up
have + pp
-ing form
thinking up
continuous
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Synonyms
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