upturn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
upturns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upturned,
past participle, past
-
upturning
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
upturns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upturned,
past participle, past
-
upturning
present participle
noun
-
chaos or extreme disorder, as in society; an upheaval.
-
an upward turn, or a changing and rising movement, as in prices or business.
verb
-
to turn or cause to turn up, over, or upside down
-
(tr) to create disorder
-
(tr) to direct upwards
noun
-
an upward turn, trend, or improvement
-
an upheaval or commotion
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
upturnsimple
-
upturnssimple
-
have upturnedperfect
-
has upturnedperfect
-
am upturningprogressive
-
are upturningprogressive
-
is upturningprogressive
-
have been upturningperfect progressive
-
has been upturningperfect progressive
Past
-
upturnedsimple
-
had upturnedperfect
-
was upturningprogressive
-
were upturningprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
The BEA said the acceleration in GDP growth was driven by an increase in investment and an upturn in government spending, which were partially offset by a decrease in exports.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
“Many countries with limited exposure to the war shock and strong participation in the technology upturn are seeing activity hold up or strengthen,” the IMF said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Former Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has also enjoyed an upturn in fortunes.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The economy has been more resilient than Goldman initially expected, as the artificial intelligence-driven technology upturn has more than offset some of the effects of the Middle East conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
She smiled at me, but her eyes didn’t crinkle with the upturn of her lips.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
James has been making content for almost six years, and he said he’s seen influencers come and go after market upturns and downturns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The step up between the final months of 2025 and early 2026 was attributed to "upturns in government spending and exports and an acceleration in investment," while consumer spending decelerated.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
But even with the upturns among these students, their scores were sobering: 36.8% were proficient in English, 25% in math and 20.7% in science.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2024
As with previous upturns in Dubai, war is a driving force.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
There is no other that so completely upturns moral distinctions, and makes evil good and good evil.
From From Egypt to Japan by Henry M. (Henry Martyn) Field
Yellow caution tape fluttered in the wind as water poured into a room strewn with wooden debris, an upturned refrigerator and a television.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
His patient Sheena Rao, a 44-year-old celebrity booker, paid $1,000 for injections to fill in a divot in the bridge of her nose and to give its tip a more upturned appearance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"The family asked us to help via Facebook," said volunteer Charlotte Darribat, as she fed the reptile near upturned sunchairs and strewn clothes in the town of Lege-Cap-Ferret.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
It evokes a thatched hut, a giant upturned basket and, especially, a vacant, human-size cage—a trap in want of prey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Giles, his large face upturned, his mouth open.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
It signaled an upturning of all known history.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 12, 2021
This virus is upturning nearly everything about how we live our lives.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2020
You may think you know, but “Bodyguard” is all about upturning those expectations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2018
That effectively cut off seven villages, upturning the lives of their 35,000 residents.
From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2016
It sliced through the prairie grass, upturning a two-foot ribbon of chocolate-colored earth.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
