show up

verb, noun — 7 senses

show up

verbalso spelled show-up
1

To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.

  • Please come on time; don't just show up whenever you feel like it.
  • No matter how many I throw away, more copies always show up.
1 more example
  • “We showed up. We showed up,” Mr. Biden said at a news conference at the United Nations summit on climate change, known as COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland. “The fact that China is trying to assert, understandably, a new role in the world as a world leader, not showing up? Huh. The single most important thing that’s gotten the attention of the world is climate.”2021 November 2, Jim Tankersley, Katie Rogers, Lisa Friedman, quoting Joe Biden, “With Methane and Forest Deals, Climate Summit Offers Hope After Gloomy Start”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 23 Mar 2022:
2

To be easily visible; to be conspicuous.

  • Stains really show up on this white tablecloth.
3

To make visible; to expose.

  • This bright light shows up the dust in the corners of the room.
  • I bet the Jayhawk fast break could show up the Nimrod's lack of speed.
4

Idiomatic To make visible or expose faults and deficiencies in, usually by outdoing, outperforming, or outcompeting another.

  • I finished in five minutes and she showed me up by finishing in three.
  • It showed her up in her true colors.
1 more example
  • His team were not outclassed but, once again, England have reminded us of their habit of being shown up as soon as they face half-decent opposition and one or two authentic category-A footballers.2014 June 20, Daniel Taylor, “World Cup 2014: Uruguay sink England as Suárez makes his mark”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2022:
5

Dated To produce an impression on observers; to come off.

  • A pleasing countenance showing above a suit of clothes is attractive and makes the suit show up well, while a face with a blank expression is likely to make a man say to himself, "Well if that man's clothes is going to make me look like that I don't want any of them."1910 October, “For Artistic Effects”, in National Lithographer:
Synonyms
turn up
Related terms
show off, show out

show-up

noun

Etymology Deverbal from show up. (showing of a suspect): Compare lineup.

1

Government, Law enforcement The showing of a suspect to a victim by police in the hope of identifying the suspect as the culprit.

2

At Eton College, a reward for good schoolwork (which is shown to one's housemaster and tutor and signed).

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for show up and show-up.