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Makeup, Make-up, or Make Up?
Makeup, Make-up, or Make Up?
Should I write "makeup," "make-up," or "make up"?- For the noun and adjective, use "makeup."
- I have bought some new makeup.
- I have bought a new makeup box.
- For the verb, use "make up."
- I will make up the dancers first.


Do I Write Make-up, Makeup, or Make Up?
The word "makeup" is a compound noun, which means it is a noun comprising at least two words. In the case of "makeup," it is a compound noun made up of a verb ("make") and a preposition ("up"). Compound nouns can be closed (without a space), open (two words), or hyphenated. "Makeup" is a closed compound noun.Read more about compound nouns.
Write Makeup (for the Noun)
There are no definitive rules about when to use a hyphen (make-up), nothing (makeup), or a space (make up) with compound nouns. The best thing to do is use your spellchecker to determine whether the one-word version is a spelling mistake. If it isn't a spelling mistake (NB: "makeup" isn't), then you should use the one-word version as it is the most efficient and is highly likely to be the most current version of the noun. In summary, you should opt for "makeup" over "make-up" and "make up." Therefore:- makeup
- make-up
- make up
Write Makeup (for the Adjective)
As "makeup" is the most efficient and current version of the noun, it follows that it should be used as the adjective too. Therefore:- makeup artist
- make-up artist
- make up artist
Write Make Up (for the Verb)
As a verb "make up" is a phrasal verb, i.e., a verb made up of a verb and another word (either a preposition or a particle). In the case of "make up," "make" is the verb and "up" is a preposition. Phrasal verbs are never merged into one word or joined with hyphens. Therefore:- Anne, please make up the witch for the next scene.
- I will make-up your daughter to look like a princess.
- Can you makeup the lion?
- Can you make the lion up?
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?