gin up en · VERB · etymology 1
Etymology
From gin (short for engine or generate) + up.
Meanings
-
(Canada, US, informal, transitive) To generate, devise, or create.
There will be pundits and politicians and special interest lobbyists publicly warning of a tyrannical all-out assault on liberty, not because that’s true but because they want to gin up fear or higher ratings or revenue for themselves.
2013 January 16, Barack Obama, The Most Vulnerable Among Us:Near-synonym: spin up
So as the six-year conceptual design phase ends next month, and the design teams face extinction, the partners […] have begun frantic efforts to keep ITER alive, ginning up concepts for an "ITER light" that promise to cut costs in half while providing most of the features of the full-fat version.
1998, Science & Government Report, volume 28, page 10:Then I'll send out some tweets to help gin up the heat.
2023 April 18, “CALLOUS MAN: A Parody of Piano Man by Don Caron and David Cohen”performed by Parody Project:Her hope was that turning it into an NFT would be a bit of performance art and that the process would gin up conversation about the article but also about new ways for creators to make money and control the ownership of their work.
2021 March 24, Charlie Warzel, “What Are You Paying for When You Buy a GIF for $25,000?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- (informal) To set up a snare.
- (informal) To exaggerate.
- (informal) To stir up, stimulate, enliven, incite.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ginning up | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| gins up | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| ginned up | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| ginned up | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Synonyms
instigate · ferment · fire · form · forge · grill · cause · excite · set on fire · wind up · cheer · warm the blood · set off · whip up · stir up · goose · spin up · urge · rouse · evolve · impel · motivate · push · spawn · enthrill · drive · generate · send · exagitate · egg on · quicken · make · vitalise · ignite · spark off · invoke · lash · engender · induce · bring about · prompt · spur · stir · exsuscitate · animate · awaken · provoke · gin up · engender · stir the blood · kindle · work up · move · forthbring · yerk · encourage · motive · thrill · enflame · spur on · oblige · foment · light a fire under · fire the blood · promote · inflame · exhilarate · send · animate · galvanize · gin up · set fire to · create · produce · whet · enkindle · incite · hyperbolize · bring about · goad · suscitate · electrify · excite · sharpen · develop · stoke · ignite · intoxicate · wake · actuate · sting · fuel · rouse · tempt · inflame · innate · stimulate · draw · abet · bring forth · overstate · evoke · contrive · whet · obligate · fillip