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turn up

B1 informal mixed both
In simple words

Appear somewhere, or make something louder/hotter/stronger.

Literal meaning: To rotate something so it faces upward; to move upward.

Meanings

1 A2 idiomatic informal

To arrive somewhere, especially unexpectedly or without prior notice.

"He just turned up at the party without being invited."

"You don't have to turn up with an army."

— Common informal English usage
Grammar: inseparable
2 A2 neutral

To increase the level or intensity of something such as volume, heat, or speed.

"Can you turn up the music? I can barely hear it."

"Turn up the radio, they're playing our song."

— Common song lyric expression; widely used in popular culture
Grammar: separable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral

To be found or discovered, usually after being lost or searched for.

"My missing keys turned up in the back of the sofa."

Grammar: inseparable
4 B2 neutral

To fold the bottom of a piece of clothing upward to shorten it.

"The tailor turned up the trousers because they were too long."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

One of the most common phrasal verbs in British and American English. 'Turn up' (intransitive) for arriving unexpectedly is very informal. For volume/heat it is separable and widely used. 'A turn-up for the books' is a British idiom meaning a surprising event.

Commonly used with

volume heat evidence unexpectedly late invitation

Forms

Base
turn up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
turns up
he/she/it
Past simple
turned up
yesterday
Past participle
turned up
have + pp
-ing form
turning up
continuous

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Synonyms

show up arrive appear increase crank up surface

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