show up

British  

verb

1. to reveal or be revealed clearly

2. (tr) to expose or reveal the faults or defects of by comparison

3. informal (tr) to put to shame; embarrass

   he showed me up in front of my friends

4. informal (intr) to appear or arrive

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show up Idioms  

1. Be clearly visible, as in The print doesn't show up against this dark background . [Late 1800s]

2. Put in an appearance, arrive, as in I wonder if he'll show up at all . [Late 1800s]

3. Expose or reveal the true character of, as in This failure showed up their efforts as a waste of time . [Early 1800s]

4. Also, show someone up . Surpass someone in ability, outdo someone, as in John's high score on that math test really showed up the rest of the class . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

“The outcomes have not yet started to show up, and that is a fail,” he recalled telling them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wholesale prices are where inflation shows up first and these prices tend to hint at future changes in what consumers pay.

From MarketWatch

And you’ll never guess where that diamond shows up in episode 55, the series finale.

From The Wall Street Journal

The scents “show up as sense fingerprints that allow us to differentiate even where they came from,” says Wiltschko.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the regime’s primary fighting force, has lost much of its infrastructure, and some members of the basij militia reportedly are refusing to show up for work.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• appear
• come
• get
• get in
• turn up