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Synonyms

end up

British  

verb

  1. (copula) to become eventually; turn out to be

    he ended up a thief

  2. (intr) to arrive, esp by a circuitous or lengthy route or process

    he ended up living in New Zealand
"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
end up Idioms  

  1. Arrive at, result in, finish. For example, He thought he'd end up living in the city, or We don't know how Nancy will end up. [First half of 1900s] Also see wind up.

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.

Friday night also might end up quite overcast for many but those patient enough to wait until Saturday night will have the best viewing chances.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

The debate is winding its way through the courts and is likely to end up in the Supreme Court.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

“I’ve seen people wait for better rates and end up paying more six months later because prices kept climbing while they sat on the sidelines.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

She knows that not all the tokens will end up driving value for the business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

But they would probably just end up getting lost and stumbling upon a hoard of treasure or something.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

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.