Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
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.

Resistance to barrier construction along the border has cropped up in other corners.

From Los Angeles Times

Similar demonstrations started cropping up in weeks prior as the Department of Homeland Security launched a sweeping immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.

From Los Angeles Times

The narrative of “AI eating software” cropped up in late 2025, suggesting the emergent technology was rapidly replacing and automating tasks traditionally handled by software applications.

From Barron's

But this more unusual trading pattern has cropped up a few times in the past year.

From Barron's

But this more unusual trading pattern has cropped up a few times in the past year.

From Barron's

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.