To arrive or appear somewhere, often unexpectedly or after a delay; also to make something visible or to embarrass someone.
To arrive at a place, or to make something or someone look bad by being much better.
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To arrive at a place or event, especially unexpectedly, late, or when one was not sure the person would come.
"We waited for two hours, but he never showed up."
I showed up at Malia's and Sasha's door right after Santa.
— Barack Obama, White House press briefing, December 2011
To become visible or to make something visible, especially a flaw or contrast.
"The UV light showed up the fingerprints on the surface."
The ultrasound showed up a cyst on her kidney.
— The Guardian (2014)
To make someone look foolish or inferior, especially by doing something better than them.
"She showed everyone up by solving the puzzle in under a minute."
One of the most common phrasal verbs in everyday English. Sense 1 (arrive) is intransitive and inseparable. Sense 2 (make visible) is usually intransitive or intransitive-passive. Sense 3 (embarrass/outshine) is transitive and separable. Used widely in both American and British English.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "show up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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