upturn

1 of 2

verb

upturned; upturning; upturns

transitive verb

1
: to turn up or over
2
: to direct upward

intransitive verb

: to turn upward
: an upward turn especially toward better conditions or higher prices

Examples of upturn in a Sentence

Verb at this point the road upturns steeply, the trees become scarcer, and the valley unfolds before you
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Just like the music itself: sonically rich, theatrical, ingeniously narrated and visualized by a woman who manages to prevent gender while redefining femininity and, as a result, upturn the power structures of hip hop. Julian Randall, Essence, 9 Oct. 2024 The outage highlights how extensive people's reliance on technology has become and how an error based on something as trivial as a calendar date can upturn entire businesses and disrupt people's day. Scharon Harding, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
Such a method automatically reduces your withdrawals during downturns and limits withdrawals during upturns. Steve Vernon, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025 To the best of our knowledge, that was not the case with Smith, either. — To avoid an upturn that could make the termination more difficult. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for upturn

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1567, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of upturn was in 1567

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Upturn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upturn. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

upturn

1 of 2 verb
1
: to turn up or over
an upturned boat
2
: to turn or direct upward
upturned faces

upturn

2 of 2 noun
: an upward turning (as toward better conditions or higher prices)

More from Merriam-Webster on upturn

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