Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:

   • To arrive or appear at a place, especially when expected or required.
   • To become visible or noticeable; to be clearly seen or evident.

2. Transitive Verb (Separable Phrasal Verb):

   • To cause someone or something to be seen as inferior, inadequate, or foolish by comparison; to expose flaws or shortcomings.

Usage and Examples

• Intransitive Verb (to arrive/appear):
  • He promised to help, but he didn't show up.
  • What time did the guests finally show up?
• Intransitive Verb (to become visible):
  • The stain will show up under a black light.
  • Her talent really shows up when she performs on stage.
• Transitive Verb (to expose or outshine):
  • The bright lighting showed up all the cracks in the wall.
  • His careful preparation showed up my lack of planning.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Often implies an element of expectation or scrutiny. Simply "appearing" is neutral, while "showing up" can carry a connotation of fulfilling or failing an expectation.
• In informal contexts, "show up" can mean to surpass or outdo someone, often causing them embarrassment.
  • The rookie quarterback showed up the veteran with his incredible plays.

Variants and Related Words

• Show-up (noun, informal): An act of appearing or arriving.
  • It was a poor show-up; only half the members attended.
• No-show (noun): A person who fails to arrive as expected.
  • We had three no-shows for the dinner reservation.

Synonyms

• Appear: To come into sight (more neutral).
• Arrive: To reach a destination.
• Turn up: To arrive or be found (informal).
• Materialize: To appear suddenly or unexpectedly.
• Manifest: To display or show (a quality or feeling) clearly.

Phrasal Verbs

• Show up for (someone): To support or be present for someone.
  • I will always show up for you when you need me.
• Show up as (something): To be identified or registered as.
  • The error shows up as a red flag on the report.

Related Idioms

• Show (someone) up: To embarrass someone by outdoing them or revealing their faults.
  • She didn't mean to show him up at the meeting; she was just better prepared.
• Show your face: To appear somewhere, especially when reluctant. (Similar in use to "show up").
  • He was too embarrassed to show his face after the incident.

Verb

1. be or become visible or noticeable
   • His good upbringing really shows
   • The dirty side will show
2. appear or become visible; make a showing
   • She turned up at the funeral
   • I hope the list key is going to surface again