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upturn

American  
[uhp-turn, uhp-turn, uhp-turn] / ʌpˈtɜrn, ˈʌpˌtɜrn, ˈʌpˌtɜrn /

verb (used with object)

  1. to turn up or over.

    The farmer upturned clumps of sod with his spade.

  2. to cause disorder; upheave.

    The storm upturned the town.

  3. to direct or turn upward.

    She upturned her face toward heaven and prayed.

verb (used without object)

  1. to turn up or upward.

    Her eyes upturned to see his face.

noun

  1. chaos or extreme disorder, as in society; an upheaval.

  2. an upward turn, or a changing and rising movement, as in prices or business.

upturn British  

verb

  1. to turn or cause to turn up, over, or upside down

  2. (tr) to create disorder

  3. (tr) to direct upwards

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an upward turn, trend, or improvement

  2. an upheaval or commotion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of upturn

1300–50; Middle English: to overturn; up-, turn

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The upturn in new business reflected improving domestic demand, which helped to offset a sustained decline in export sales,

From The Wall Street Journal

Southeast Asia markets including the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand joined the upturn too.

From The Wall Street Journal

Though he has come through lean patches previously, the upturn has not always been immediate.

From BBC

Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal last week had expected an upturn to minus 23.0.

From The Wall Street Journal

For them, England's fortunes come a firm second to their own hopes of an upturn in results.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.