upturn
Americanverb (used with object)
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upturns,
present (3rd person singular)
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upturned,
past participle, past
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upturning
present participle
verb (used without object)
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upturns,
present (3rd person singular)
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upturned,
past participle, past
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upturning
present participle
noun
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chaos or extreme disorder, as in society; an upheaval.
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an upward turn, or a changing and rising movement, as in prices or business.
verb
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to turn or cause to turn up, over, or upside down
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(tr) to create disorder
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(tr) to direct upwards
noun
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an upward turn, trend, or improvement
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an upheaval or commotion
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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upturnsimple
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upturnssimple
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have upturnedperfect
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has upturnedperfect
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am upturningprogressive
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are upturningprogressive
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is upturningprogressive
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have been upturningperfect progressive
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has been upturningperfect progressive
Past
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upturnedsimple
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had upturnedperfect
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was upturningprogressive
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were upturningprogressive
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had been upturningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of upturn
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Higher premiums and lower payouts on claims helped drive the profits upturn, the report said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
However, stockpiling could still be propelling that upturn as supply constraints continued to exert an impact with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
“July’s upturn may not be the start of an improving trend,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Fans at Anfield will hope for a similar upturn now that Iraola has the chance to work with a squad of established stars and big-money signings.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
“Gosh a’mighty, I couldn’t hardly wait to upturn my dang nail keg!”
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
The step up between the final months of 2025 and early 2026 was attributed to "upturns in government spending and exports and an acceleration in investment," while consumer spending decelerated.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
“Japan’s manufacturing industry propelled itself back into growth territory at the start of 2026, with firms signaling the strongest upturns in output and new orders for nearly four years,” said Fiddes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026
But even with the upturns among these students, their scores were sobering: 36.8% were proficient in English, 25% in math and 20.7% in science.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2024
As with previous upturns in Dubai, war is a driving force.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
Bud finds old location on widow's claim, upturns all previous calculation & information given me by her.
From Cabin Fever by B. M. Bower
Yellow caution tape fluttered in the wind as water poured into a room strewn with wooden debris, an upturned refrigerator and a television.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
His patient Sheena Rao, a 44-year-old celebrity booker, paid $1,000 for injections to fill in a divot in the bridge of her nose and to give its tip a more upturned appearance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"The family asked us to help via Facebook," said volunteer Charlotte Darribat, as she fed the reptile near upturned sunchairs and strewn clothes in the town of Lege-Cap-Ferret.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Still, it’s nice to have a sweeping view of the first film’s prosthetic makeup: the Cowardly Lion’s upturned nostrils, the Scarecrow’s baggy jowls, the real horses painted purple and red with Jell-O.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
I looked down as he began to rub his thumb over my upturned palm.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Arcel’s films don’t revise Danish history so much as expand upon it, upturning previously held assumptions and examining the corruption of powerful men, with a socially progressive, even feminist bent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
It signaled an upturning of all known history.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 12, 2021
This virus is upturning nearly everything about how we live our lives.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2020
That effectively cut off seven villages, upturning the lives of their 35,000 residents.
From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2016
It sliced through the prairie grass, upturning a two-foot ribbon of chocolate-colored earth.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
