upturn

American  

[uhp-turn, uhp-turn, uhp-turn] / ʌpˈtɜrn, ˈʌpˌtɜrn, ˈʌpˌtɜrn /

verb (used with object)

1. to turn up or over.

   The farmer upturned clumps of sod with his spade.

2. to cause disorder; upheave.

   The storm upturned the town.

3. to direct or turn upward.

   She upturned her face toward heaven and prayed.

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verb (used without object)

1. to turn up or upward.

   Her eyes upturned to see his face.

noun

1. chaos or extreme disorder, as in society; an upheaval.

2. an upward turn, or a changing and rising movement, as in prices or business.

upturn British  

verb

1. to turn or cause to turn up, over, or upside down

2. (tr) to create disorder

3. (tr) to direct upwards

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noun

1. an upward turn, trend, or improvement

2. an upheaval or commotion

Etymology

Origin of upturn

1300–50; Middle English: to overturn; see up-, turn

Explanation

Use the noun upturn to describe an improvement, especially in finances or business. If your neighborhood ice cream man is smiling, it is probably because the hot summer weather this week has caused an upturn in his popsicle business. You're likely to come across the word upturn when you're reading the newspaper or watching TV news, at least if things are looking up, financially: "There are strong signs of an economic upturn."

Example Sentences

As a reward for an upturn in form, the province were heavily represented in Ireland's Six Nations squad.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

“Consumer concerns are growing that the tentative upturn in the German economy could suffer a serious setback, especially if the conflict persists and government measures fail to take effect,” the survey’s authors said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

For now, the cease-fire is holding, both sides have seemingly avoided worst-case scenarios, and markets looked oversold before their recent upturn.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

The IMF said most Middle East oil exporters are forecast for an upturn next year "based on the assumption that energy production and transportation are normalized over the next few months".

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

The former snout now curves into a slight upturn at the tip.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• recovery
• upswing