turnup

1 of 3

adjective

turn·​up ˈtər-ˈnəp 

1

: turned up

a turnup nose

2

: made or fitted to be turned up

a turnup collar

turnup

2 of 3

noun

turn·​up ˈtər-ˌnəp 

: something that is turned up

turn up

3 of 3

verb

turned up; turning up; turns up

transitive verb

1

: find, discover

2

: to raise or increase by or as if by turning a control

turn up the volume on the radio

3

British

a

: to look up (a word, a fact, etc.) in a book

b

: to refer to or consult (a book)

4

: to turn (a card) face upward

intransitive verb

1

: to appear or come to light unexpectedly or after being lost

new evidence has turned up

2

a(1)

: to turn out to be

he turned up missing at roll call

(2)

: appear sense 4

her name is always turning up in the newspapers

b

: to arrive or show up at an appointed or expected time or place

turned up half an hour late

3

: to happen or occur unexpectedly

something always turned up to prevent their meeting

4

of a ship : tack sense 1b

Phrases

turn up one's nose

: to show scorn or disdain

Synonyms

Verb

• appear
• come out
• materialize
• show
• show up
• unfold

Examples of turnup in a Sentence

Verb

my missing car keys turned up just in time

when do you think our guests will turn up?

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

So the ocean, and not space aliens, explains why ancient whale parts have turned up in Lincoln Heights and Mt. Washington, once the contours of the seabed. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024

And in Game 5 on Wednesday, Adebayo turned up his aggressiveness and was on track to play all 48 minutes if the game was within reach. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 2 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1688, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1580, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Kids Definition

turn up

verb

1

: to be found or happen usually unexpectedly

2

: to raise by or as if by using a control

turn up the heat

3

: arrive sense 1

turned up late