upturn

American  

[uhp-turn, uhp-turn, uhp-turn] / ʌpˈtɜrn, ˈʌpˌtɜrn, ˈʌpˌtɜrn /

verb (used with object)

1. to turn up or over.

   The farmer upturned clumps of sod with his spade.

2. to cause disorder; upheave.

   The storm upturned the town.

3. to direct or turn upward.

   She upturned her face toward heaven and prayed.

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verb (used without object)

1. to turn up or upward.

   Her eyes upturned to see his face.

noun

1. chaos or extreme disorder, as in society; an upheaval.

2. an upward turn, or a changing and rising movement, as in prices or business.

upturn British  

verb

1. to turn or cause to turn up, over, or upside down

2. (tr) to create disorder

3. (tr) to direct upwards

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noun

1. an upward turn, trend, or improvement

2. an upheaval or commotion

Etymology

Origin of upturn

1300–50; Middle English: to overturn; see up-, turn

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

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 nationwide have access to the tools, public records requested by the Washington nonprofit Upturn found.

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

The ads also stop short of fully explaining the rights of a citizen in a traffic stop, according to Harlan Yu, the executive director of Upturn, a nonprofit that studies how technology affects social issues.

From New York Times • Nov. 24, 2017

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

Related Words

• recovery
• upswing