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
Kids who have that end up, generally, in better situations than kids who don’t.
—
Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The group was never broken up into first, second and third teams, nobody dropped out, and a handful of those players ended up turning professional.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
If no candidate gets a majority, as is widely expected, the race will end up in a runoff on May 26th.
—Jack Fink, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
And, of course, the Chiltern Firehouse was home to the streamer’s annual post BAFTA bash that stars from every other studio ended up at well into the early hours of the morning.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for end up
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Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The group was never broken up into first, second and third teams, nobody dropped out, and a handful of those players ended up turning professional.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
If no candidate gets a majority, as is widely expected, the race will end up in a runoff on May 26th.
—Jack Fink, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
And, of course, the Chiltern Firehouse was home to the streamer’s annual post BAFTA bash that stars from every other studio ended up at well into the early hours of the morning.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for end up
Cite this Entry
“End up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/end%20up. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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