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

Depending on the machine and settings, that material ends up in a purge tower built alongside the print, or in a collection of little plastic doll's-house-looking spaghetti balls, affectionately known as printer poop. — New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026

His coalition partners also ended up empty-handed in the ballot. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

In the latest House vote, seven Republicans ended up siding with Democrats in voting to end the war. — Kevin Freking, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Whatever prompted the disagreement, two adults at a children's football tournament ended up fighting in front of the players. — Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for end up

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