Meaning & use
to show up
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Meanings
verbintransitiveinformal
To arrive or appear at a place, especially when expected.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'at' or 'for'.
Patterns
- show up at a place
- show up for something
He showed up late for the meeting again.
Only half the guests showed up at the party.
verbintransitive
To be easy to see or notice.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'on' or 'against' a background.
Patterns
- show up on something
- show up against something
The stain still shows up on the white shirt.
The writing shows up clearly against the dark background.
verbtransitiveinformal
To make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed.
Grammar: Takes an object: show someone up.
Patterns
- show someone up
Please don't show me up in front of my parents.
He showed up his colleague by correcting every mistake.
Word forms
| third person singular | shows up |
|---|---|
| past tense | showed up |
| past participle | shown up |
| -ing form | showing up |
Common combinations
- show up late
- She showed up late and missed the start.
- show up for work
- He didn't show up for work yesterday.
- show up on time
- Please show up on time tomorrow.
- show up in a photo
- The scar doesn't show up in the photo.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arrive
- More formal and neutral; use it in writing instead of 'show up'.
- appear
- Focuses on coming into view; 'show up' is more about turning up at a place.
- turn up
- Very similar in British English, also informal.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: to show up or show off?
to show up vs show off
Show off means to boast or display something; show up means to arrive or embarrass.
Practice
We waited for an hour, but she never ____.
Choose one answer.
'Showed up' means arrived. 'Showed off' means boasted, 'showed in' and 'showed out' are not common phrasal verbs in this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to show up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.