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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.

Abortion is of course not mentioned at all, although realistically, many women who attempt to use the rhythm method may end up calling an abortion provider at some point.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

All things considered, this will probably end up in a draw.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

In the small number of known genetic code variants, TAA and TAG usually change together and usually end up meaning the same thing.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

That might happen or one team could end up as No. 1 seed in Division I.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

“In fact, I bet you two will end up close friends after this!”

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

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.