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.
Foley did not turn up to court when her case was first due to be heard at the start of May.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
So financial advisers are trying to turn up more losses for their clients by employing strategies that use leverage.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
Activists urged countries to turn up in numbers, despite the distance.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
“I can’t turn up prescriptions for my son back when he was young, years ago,” Michigan resident Ellen Isaacs said.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
But the question only made Penelope’s heart ache all over again, for who knew when Simon might turn up, or where?
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
