upturn
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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chaos or extreme disorder, as in society; an upheaval.
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an upward turn, or a changing and rising movement, as in prices or business.
verb
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to turn or cause to turn up, over, or upside down
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(tr) to create disorder
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(tr) to direct upwards
noun
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an upward turn, trend, or improvement
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an upheaval or commotion
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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upturnsimple
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upturnssimple
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have upturnedperfect
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has upturnedperfect
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am upturningprogressive
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are upturningprogressive
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is upturningprogressive
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have been upturningperfect progressive
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has been upturningperfect progressive
Past
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upturnedsimple
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had upturnedperfect
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was upturningprogressive
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were upturningprogressive
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had been upturningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of upturn
Explanation
Use the noun upturn to describe an improvement, especially in finances or business. If your neighborhood ice cream man is smiling, it is probably because the hot summer weather this week has caused an upturn in his popsicle business. You're likely to come across the word upturn when you're reading the newspaper or watching TV news, at least if things are looking up, financially: "There are strong signs of an economic upturn."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A 2020 study by the nonprofit Upturn found that at least 2,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states possess the technology to get into and extract data from locked phones.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2023
At least 2,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states have such tools, including 49 of the 50 largest U.S. police departments, according to Upturn, a Washington nonprofit that investigates how the police use technology.
From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2021
Records from Upturn show law enforcement agencies, ranging from the biggest in the nation to small local departments, have spent tens of millions of dollars on the tools in recent years.
From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2020
ProPublica helped design the research with Northeastern and Upturn and placed some additional ads of its own.
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2019
Upturn, up-turn′, v.t. to turn up or upward: to throw up.—v.i. to turn up.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
