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Synonyms

crop up

British  

verb

  1. informal (intr, adverb) to occur or appear, esp unexpectedly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
crop up Idioms  

  1. Appear unexpectedly or occasionally, as in One theory that crops up periodically is the influence of sunspots on stock prices, or We hope new talent will crop up in the next freshman class. [Mid-1800s]

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.

The figures do not include spending on campaigns visible across the entire United Kingdom, which could also crop up on social media feeds in Wales.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

If Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” seems to crop up more often than his other plays, it’s probably because of the enigmatic hold the chilling title character has on actresses and audiences alike.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

Plus, you’ll also have a real person to talk to if problems crop up after April 15.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

These jobs could crop up in our AI future.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Imaginary numbers never appeared in linear equations, but they began to crop up in quadratic ones.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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.