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

Things bought under dark stars almost always end up being a mistake in one way or another. —Kimberly King, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2026

What Reviews Say Many of the recipe’s commenters (of which there are over 300) who have ended up making Divorce Carrot Cake for themselves give it rave reviews. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2026

That ended up being three days a week for three years and transitioned Merchant to an artist-in-residence for the Head Start program. —Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026

But Trump surprised supporters and foes alike by inviting the Democrat to the White House for what ended up being a cordial meeting in November. —Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for end up

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