verb
fabricate
FAB-rih-kayt
verb
1
To manufacture or build something, especially by assembling parts.
"The company fabricates steel components for the aerospace industry."
2
To invent a false story, document, or excuse and present it as genuine.
"He fabricated evidence to cover up the mistake."
"The journalist was fired for fabricating quotes."
How to Use Fabricate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo build something physically, or to make up something false and pass it off as real.
Common mistake
In everyday use "fabricate" almost always implies dishonesty (fabricate a story/excuse); the neutral "manufacture" sense is more common in technical or industrial writing.
Common pairings
fabricate evidence
fabricate a story
fabricate parts
Word Forms
fabricated past tense, fabricates singular
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The company _____ steel components for the aerospace industry.
Etymology
From Latin fabricare, "to build or construct," from fabrica, "workshop" — the sense of "make up a lie" developed later in English.