turn up

Short definition: The phrase turn up means to appear or arrive unexpectedly, or to increase the volume or intensity of something, depending on context.

Looking for a clear and natural explanation of the phrasal verb turn up? This is a very common expression in English and it can describe both physical actions and unexpected situations. It may refer to increasing volume or intensity, arriving somewhere, or appearing unexpectedly. Because it’s used in many everyday conversations, context plays an important role in understanding it correctly. Below are detailed meanings with realistic examples so you can clearly understand how turn up works in daily English.

turn up v. /ˌtɜːrn ˈʌp/

Forms: turn up, turns up, turned up, turning up
Related: increase v., arrive v., appear v., raise v.
Syllable: turn-up

(Verb) To increase the level, volume, or intensity of something.
To turn up something most commonly means increasing its level, such as the volume of music, the heat on a stove, or the brightness of a screen. It usually involves adjusting a control upward.

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

She turned up the heater because it was getting cold.

He turned up the brightness on his phone to see better.

Synonyms: increase, raise, boost, amplify, heighten, intensify, elevate, step up, pump up, enhance, grow louder, make stronger
Antonyms: turn down, reduce, lower, decrease, diminish, soften, quiet, tone down, cut back, weaken, lessen, dial down
(Verb) To arrive or appear at a place.
Turn up can also mean arriving somewhere, often unexpectedly or without formal announcement. It’s common in casual speech when talking about showing up.

He turned up at the party without telling anyone he was coming.

I didn’t expect her to turn up so early.

Only a few people turned up for the meeting.

Synonyms: arrive, appear, show up, come, attend, pop in, present oneself, come along, surface, materialize, drop by, reach destination
Antonyms: leave, disappear, stay away, be absent, not show up, vanish, skip, miss event, fail to appear, withdraw, depart, avoid attending
(Verb) To be found or discovered unexpectedly.
In another meaning, turn up refers to something being found after being lost or missing. It often suggests a surprising discovery.

My missing keys finally turned up in my coat pocket.

New evidence turned up during the investigation.

The documents turned up just before the deadline.

Synonyms: be found, surface, reappear, emerge, come to light, show up unexpectedly, be discovered, be uncovered, pop up, arise, crop up, reveal itself
Antonyms: disappear, remain lost, stay hidden, be concealed, vanish, be missing, stay undiscovered, be buried, remain unseen, be suppressed, be lost permanently, stay hidden away

Conversation Using the Phrasal Verb Turn up

While waiting for a guest at a dinner party, Arthur and Beatrice discuss punctuality and volume. This conversation highlights turn up, which means to arrive (often unexpectedly), to increase the volume or heat, or for something to be found by chance.

Arthur: I hope our old friend managed to turn up soon; I haven't seen him in over five years and I have so much to tell him.

Beatrice: I’m sure he’ll turn up; he might just be stuck in the heavy Friday evening traffic near the city center or the train station.

Arthur: I read that a rare first-edition book can sometimes turn up in the most unlikely places, like a small local thrift store or a garage sale.

Beatrice: I noticed that you had to turn up the heating because the house was feeling quite chilly after the sun went down this afternoon.

Arthur: If you turn up the radio any louder, the neighbors might complain about the noise and we don't want to cause any trouble tonight.

Beatrice: I saw a missing cat turn up at its owner's doorstep after being gone for nearly three weeks, which was a wonderful and happy surprise.

Arthur: It’s funny how the perfect solution to a problem will often turn up just when you’ve almost given up on looking for it altogether.

Beatrice: I agree; I’m going to turn up the collar of my coat because the wind is starting to get much stronger and colder outside now.

Arthur: I’m glad he finally managed to turn up; the party feels much more complete now that the whole group is together in one room.

Beatrice: Me too; once the rest of the guests turn up, we can finally serve the main course and enjoy the rest of the evening together.

Phrases Containing the Phrasal Verb Turn Up

The phrases below show how the phrasal verb turn up is used to talk about increasing volume or intensity, or appearing unexpectedly.

Turn up the volume

To increase sound level.

Please turn up the volume because I can barely hear what the speaker is saying.

Turn up late

To arrive after the expected time.

He turned up late to the interview and had to apologize for the delay.

Turn up unexpectedly

To appear without warning.

An old classmate turned up unexpectedly at the reunion party.

Turn up the heat

To increase temperature.

She turned up the heat because the room felt too cold in the evening.

Turn up at the event

To arrive at a gathering.

Hundreds of fans turned up at the event to meet their favorite singer.

Turn up the brightness

To increase light intensity.

He turned up the brightness on his laptop to see the screen clearly.

Turn up the music

To make music louder.

They turned up the music to energize the crowd during the celebration.

Turn up in conversation

To appear as a topic.

The issue turned up in conversation during the team meeting.

Turn up the pressure

To increase intensity or demand.

The coach turned up the pressure during training to prepare the team for competition.

Turn up at the door

To arrive at someone’s home.

He turned up at the door without calling first, which surprised everyone.

Turn up alive

To appear safely after concern.

The missing hiker finally turned up alive after two days in the forest.

Turn up the sound

To increase audio level.

Please turn up the sound so everyone can hear the announcement.

Turn up in results

To appear in data or search.

The new article quickly turned up in search results after publication.

Turn up the lights

To increase lighting.

They turned up the lights to make the stage brighter for the performance.

Turn up at work

To arrive at the workplace.

He turned up at work despite feeling slightly unwell.

Turn up the temperature

To increase heat.

She turned up the temperature during the cold winter night.

Turn up early

To arrive before expected time.

He turned up early to prepare the meeting room in advance.

Turn up in the news

To appear in media reports.

The story turned up in the news after gaining public attention.

Turn up safely

To arrive without harm.

Everyone was relieved when the missing child turned up safely.

Turn up again

To appear once more.

The issue turned up again during the final review session.

Words Rhyme with turn up

burn up

churn up

learn up

fern up

stern up

spurn up

yearn up

concern up

return up

adjourn up

cup

pup

sup

yup

hiccup

pickup

makeup

shakeup

breakup

wakeup

checkup

stickup

mockup

lockup

linkup

setup

getup

letup

windup

POS: Verb Phrase