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

But Turner, who also created oils and engravings before his death in 1851, ended up elevating watercolors and landscapes to a serious art form with contemporaries like John Constable and Caspar David Friedrich. —Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 26 Sep. 2025

Writing is an iceberg sort of art form where only 10% of the work ends up on the page; the other 90% includes excavating each character’s backstory. —Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025

And despite how things may have ended up for this couple, the beginning was absolutely perfect. —James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025

Evidence indicates that Jahn was targeting ICE agents, but ended up killing one detainee and critically injuring two others, investigators said. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for end up

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