Show up meaning
Show up means to arrive somewhere, especially late or when people do not expect you. It can also mean to be easy to see, or make something easy to see.
show up
show up · showed · shown · showing
He showed up at the party an hour late.
Show up meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Arrive somewhere, especially late or when people do not expect you
show up
- He showed up at the party an hour late.
- Only five people showed up for the meeting.
- What if she doesn’t show up?
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2
Be easy to see, or make something easy to see
show something up
- Dirt shows up on white shoes very quickly.
- The crack didn’t show up on the X-ray.
- This light shows up every mark on the wall.
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3
Make someone feel embarrassed by doing better or behaving badly
show somebody or something up
- My little sister showed me up by beating me at chess.
- Please don’t show me up in front of my friends.
- The new player showed up the older ones.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use show up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is show up separable?
When show up means arrive, it has no object: She didn’t show up. Use at or for: show up at the party, show up for work.
When show up means embarrass, the person goes in the middle: Don’t show me up. The noun no-show is a person who does not show up.
Verb tenses for show up
| Present | I show up · she shows up |
|---|---|
| Past | showed up |
| Present perfect | have shown up |
| -ing form | showing up |
Common mistakes with show up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: He didn’t show up to the station.
Right: He didn’t show up at the station.
For a place, use at. Show up to is used in US English for events.
Wrong: She showed up herself very late.
Right: She showed up very late.
When it means arrive, show up has no object.
Wrong: Nobody shown up for the class.
Right: Nobody showed up for the class.
The past simple is showed. Shown is the participle.
Synonyms and opposites of show up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- turn upmeans the same; more common in UK English
- arriveneutral word; show up often suggests late or unexpected
- show offtry to make people admire you; very different
Opposite
- stand someone upnot show up for a date
- not turn upnot arrive when people expect you
Show up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1We waited for an hour, but the plumber never ___.
Show up means arrive.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use for or at before the event.
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3“Dark paint doesn’t show up the dirt.” What does this mean?
Show up can mean make something easy to see.
More phrasal verbs with show
2 phrasal verbs start with show. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Show up FAQ
Questions people ask about show up.
Show up vs turn up: what is the difference?
They mean the same when you mean arrive. Turn up is more common in the UK, show up in the US, but both are used everywhere.
Is show up informal?
Yes, a little. It is fine in speech and emails. In formal writing, say arrive or attend.
What is a no-show?
A no-show is a person who books something but does not come. The restaurant had three no-shows tonight.
Use show up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.