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

---

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]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

show up

You show up with whatever you have, even if you think you have nothing, and you’ll find that doing so digs solutions out of you that you didn’t know you had.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

“You don’t just show up to someone’s party and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to hold my own party, too,’” he said in Spanish.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Five years ago, when there were more buyers competing for fewer homes, sellers could be more aggressive on price and still expect buyers to show up, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

"They often report they would rather have a physical accident to have a reason not to show up than just take the day off."

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

These are deeply disturbing flaws that don’t show up on the marble statues that honor these men.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Related Words

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