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Synonyms

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

"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
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]

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.