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Glite Dictionary
to doctor up

to doctor up

1 8.1
To change something to hide mistakes or trick people
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : falsificar
  • I'm just going to, I'm just going to doctor it up so that it corresponds to the second statement over here.

Examples

  • Somebody must have doctored up that tape.

    Bloody Murder 2: Closing Camp (2003)

  • While you were unconscious we had the doctor up here to examine you.

    Coney Island (1943)

  • So he did, and he doctored it all up with the brandy, fresh milk...

    Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

  • There is nothing to stop you from doctoring up a boarding pass with your name and today's date.

    Blog text (31)

  • This is a far cry from the old days when a real illegal antiquity had to be couriered by a specialist who not only knew how to care for the piece, but also how to doctor it up to avoid being arrested at customs.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Somebody must have doctored up that tape to make it sound different.

  • He doctored up the report to make it look like he had more experience.

  • They doctored up the evidence in order to mislead the investigators.

Synonyms

to falsify
vsto doctor up
  • Formal
44 7.3

To make documents or facts not true to deceive people

alters or adds to any thing, usually to deceive beyond documents
to juggle
vsto doctor up
12 4.8

Change facts or numbers to hide the truth

alters or adds content openly to deceive rather than subtly adjust it
to doctor
vsto doctor up
10 7.7

To change something to hide the truth

alters or adds to things generally, focusing on deception rather than impurity
to trump up
vsto doctor up
4 8.6

To make a false story to accuse someone unfairly

changes or adds material rather than mainly creating false charges
to twist around
vsto doctor up
1 6.4

Change words or facts to make a person look bad

changes or adds the actual material instead of only twisting its meaning
to sophisticate
vsto doctor up
9.5

To add cheaper things to a product to cheat buyers

modifies or adds in general to deceive, not only by making things impure

Antonyms

to verify
251 3.5

To make sure something is true or correct

How Dishonest

to forge
  • NSFW
66 7.1
to fabricate
50 7.3
to falsify
  • Formal
44 7.3
to doctor up
  • Informal
1 8.1
to tamper
113 4.9

Surface Forms

doctor up infinitive
doctored up past
doctored up past participle
doctoring up present participle
doctors up third person singular

Morphology

doctor + up

Because 'doctor' is given as 'to tamper with or alter so as to deceive' and 'up' conveys completion/intensification, the sense 'to change or add to something, usually dishonestly' is directly derivable from the parts. The particle-up pattern commonly signals an intensified or completed action in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Doctor up comes from the image of a doctor fixing a sick person and up meaning to make something better, so to 'doctor up' a report is like 'fixing' it by adding or changing things to hide mistakes or to trick people. That's why it means 'to change or add to something, usually dishonestly'.