turn up
Britishverb
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(intr) to arrive or appear
he turned up late at the party
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to find or be found, esp by accident
his book turned up in the cupboard
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(tr) to increase the flow, volume, etc, of
to turn up the radio
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informal (tr) to cause to vomit
noun
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US and Canadian name: cuff. (often plural) the turned-up fold at the bottom of some trouser legs
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informal an unexpected or chance occurrence
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Increase the volume, speed, intensity, or flow of, as in Turn up the air conditioning; it's too hot in here . [Late 1800s]
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Find or be found, as in She turned up the missing papers , or Your coat turned up in the closet .
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Appear, arrive, as in His name turns up in the newspaper now and then , or Some old friends turned up unexpectedly . [c. 1700] This usage gave rise to turn up like a bad penny , meaning that something unwanted constantly reappears, as in Ken turns up like a bad penny whenever there's free liquor. Bad here alludes to a counterfeit coin.
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Fold or be capable of being folded, as in I'll just turn up the hem , or He preferred cuffs that turn up . [c. 1600]
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Happen unexpectedly, as in Something turned up so I couldn't go to the play . Also see the following idioms beginning with turn 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.
Both sides expect the result to be close and it could depend on how many MPs turn up for the sitting on Friday, a day when they would usually expect to be in their constituencies.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
In coming days photos would be posted on the streets, as if a loved one might turn up in a hospital somewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Meanwhile, rising bond yields were helping to turn up the temperature on a market that is starting to look overextended based on historical trends, according to an analysis from Ned Davis Research.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
They turn up at weddings and kids’ birthday parties, in freezer aisles and bakery cases, at country clubs and holiday breakfast tables.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
“Who are you, what do you want, when did you decide to turn up, where did you come from, and why are you late?”
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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.
