turnup

1 of 3

adjective

turn·​up ˈtər-ˈnəp 

1

: turned up

a turnup nose

2

: made or fitted to be turned up

a turnup collar

turnup

2 of 3

noun

turn·​up ˈtər-ˌnəp 

: something that is turned up

turn up

3 of 3

verb

turned up; turning up; turns up

transitive verb

1

: find, discover

2

: to raise or increase by or as if by turning a control

turn up the volume on the radio

3

British

a

: to look up (a word, a fact, etc.) in a book

b

: to refer to or consult (a book)

4

: to turn (a card) face upward

intransitive verb

1

: to appear or come to light unexpectedly or after being lost

new evidence has turned up

2

a(1)

: to turn out to be

He turned up missing at roll call.

(2)

: appear sense 4

her name is always turning up in the newspapers

b

: to arrive or show up at an appointed or expected time or place

turned up half an hour late

3

: to happen or occur unexpectedly

something always turned up to prevent their meeting

4

of a ship : tack sense 1b

see also:

turn up one's nose

Synonyms of turnup

Verb

• appear
• show
• unfold
• come
• show up

Examples of turnup in a Sentence

Verb

my missing car keys turned up just in time

when do you think our guests will turn up?

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

With the loss of his friends, Abdul Hadi began turning up at ISIS headquarters, spending hours sipping tea and watching battle videos. —Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026

Conor and Taylor turned up to his cousin Kyle Kennedy’s wedding at the very last minute. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 28 Feb. 2026

Police sources say McDermott resisted arrest, and a subsequent search turned up a crack pipe. —Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

Short isn’t sure Simley would have edged the likes of Kasson-Mantorville without turning up the dial. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1688, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1580, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Rhymes for turnup

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

Kids Definition

turn up

verb

1

: to be found or happen usually unexpectedly

2

: to raise by or as if by using a control

turn up the heat

3

: arrive sense 1

turned up late