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.
The task force recommended against prostate-specific antigen tests in 2012—on the theory that it could turn up false positives and that slow-growing tumors are unlikely to kill patients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
There were athletes' buses that did not turn up when they should, or did not arrive at all.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Katy, 25, a personal assistant in events, says she personally wouldn't turn up to a job interview with an iced coffee.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
There will be other reasons why supportive MPs did not turn up today.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
So I turn up the TV volume and put on some baby cartoons.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
