end up

phrasal verb

ended up; ending up; ends up

: to reach or come to a place, condition, or situation that was not planned or expected

The book ended up in the trash.

He didn't want to end up like his father.

She ended up a rich woman.

He ended up (living) in a nursing home.

The movie we wanted to see was sold out so we ended up seeing a different one.

Examples of end up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When a father seeking vengeance, an American operative experiencing a string of bad luck, and several independent assassins hailing from around the world all end up on the same bullet train bound for Kyoto, the results are violent — and the survivors minimal. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025

Deputies and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue responded and found that a person had fired over two dozen shots into a home with people inside, though no one ended up being seriously injured. —Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 26 Dec. 2025

If Allen Fieldhouse does end up hosting another game, this time the court could look a little different. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025

Luckily, most of his tears ended up being happy ones. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 26 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for end up

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