crop up

verb

cropped up; cropping up; crops up

intransitive verb

: to come or appear when not expected

New problems crop up every day.

His name crops up frequently as a potential candidate.

Examples of crop up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Sidewalk Cracks One of the worst places for poison ivy plants to crop up is right in between the cracks of your driveway or sidewalks. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026

And just today, Storrie and Williams cropped up yet again, this time in similar soft, earthy tones (mocha brown and sage green, respectively), matching baseball caps, gray sneakers, and bags. — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 5 Aug. 2026

The Brothers Grimm fairytale is a popularisation of a much older myth which spans thousands of years and crops up in cultures across the globe. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

Fakes from space Godin noted fake satellite imagery has already cropped up in limited cases. — Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 31 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Note: See note at crop entry 2

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for crop up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup