turn up

turn someone or something up 

1. Lit. to increase the volume of a device emitting the sound of someone or something. I can't hear the lecturer. Turn her up. Turn up the radio, please.

2. Fig. to discover or locate someone or something. See if you can turn up any evidence for his presence on the night of January 16. Have you been able to turn up a date for Friday night?

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turn something up 

1. to bend or fold something up. (See also turn up.) Please turn your cuffs up. They are getting muddy. He turned up his coat collar to keep the rain off his neck.

2. to turn playing cards face up. Please turn all the cards up. Sally turned up the cards one at a time.

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turn up 

1. [for part of something] to point upward. The ends of the elf's funny little shoes turned up.

2. Fig. to happen. Something always turns up to prevent their meeting. I am sorry I was late. Something turned up at the last minute.

3. Fig. to appear; to arrive and attend. We'll send out invitations and see who turns up. Guess who turned up at my door last night?

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turn up

to appear or come to your attention She said she'd let me know if anything new turned up. Look who just turned up - my old friend Buzz Galbraith!

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turn up something also turn something up

to find something, usually after looking A three-hour search turned up no sign of a bomb. Our first look at the records did not turn anything up.

See also: turn, up