end up

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

Somehow, your prized tree still ends up half-dead after a few months. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 July 2026

But at least 70% of the time, those visits ended up being a false alarm. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 19 July 2026

Scorsese’s film adaptation ended up grossing over $392 million at the box office and earned five Oscars nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Scorsese, and Best Actor for DiCaprio. — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026

The gambit ended up paying off as Ferrer got Devers to flail at an outside slider to record the inning-ending strikeout. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 July 2026

Rhymes for end up

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