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conjure up — to make something appear as if by magic; to bring a thought, picture, idea, or memory to mind

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to make something appear as if by magic; to bring a thought, picture, idea, or memory to mind

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈkʌndʒər ʌp/

Example Sentences

  • The smell of cookies conjured up memories of my grandmother's kitchen.
  • My roommate can conjure up a gourmet meal from ramen noodles and leftover pizza.
  • The mention of her ex-boyfriend's name conjures up feelings she'd rather forget.

conjure up

VERB

[/ˈkʌndʒər ʌp/]

to make something appear as if by magic; to bring a thought, picture, idea, or memory to mind

The magician seems to conjure up a dove from an empty silk handkerchief.
💡 Concept

The magician seems to conjure up a dove from an empty silk handkerchief.

Conjure up evidence, but don't injure truth or perjure!
🎵 Rhyme

Conjure up evidence, but don't injure truth or perjure!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈkʌndʒər ʌp/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈkʌndʒər ʌp/

🌳Etymology

Prefixcon--
Rootjur
Suffix--e

Origin

Derived from Latin 'conjurare', originally meaning 'to swear together' or 'to take an oath collectively'. During the medieval period, the term became associated with ritualistic summoning of spirits and demons, evolving to mean 'to summon by magic' or 'to bring forth as if by enchantment'.

Breakdown

con- (together) + jurare (to swear, from Latin juramentum meaning oath) = conjurare (to swear together, to summon). The prefix con- intensifies the action of calling forth, while jurare retained its sense of binding invocation.

🎵Rhyme

injure
perjure

🔗Collocations

conjure up memories
conjure up images
conjure up spirits
conjure up a solution
conjure up magic
conjure up excuses
conjure up the past

📝Examples

“The smell of cookies conjured up memories of my grandmother's kitchen.”

😄 Fun example

“My roommate can conjure up a gourmet meal from ramen noodles and leftover pizza.”

“The mention of her ex-boyfriend's name conjures up feelings she'd rather forget.”

😄 Fun example

“He tried to conjure up an excuse for being three hours late, but 'alien abduction' wasn't very convincing.”

📚Related Words

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