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

Winfrey pointed to her own childhood in Mississippi as formative in her desire to provide for the audience, recalling a Christmas when her family had no presents before nuns turned up to her house with gifts. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 June 2026

Algeria turned up the pressure in the second half and had multiple shots on goal that Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila punched away, but a corner kick in the 69th minute proved to be the Jordanian keeper’s kryptonite. —Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 23 June 2026

Aldo keeps turning up in some of 2026’s biggest promo wardrobes. —Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 23 June 2026

Clave Especial Clave Especial will turn up the heat at BMO with their speedfire corridos tumbados. —Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 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