This meaning is about arriving at a place, especially when you’re late, unexpected, or people have been waiting for you. Imagine organising a dinner party for ten people, but by eight o’clock only six have shown up — the rest haven’t arrived yet. This is showing up — turning up at a place where others are expecting you. You might hear “half the students didn’t show up to the exam” or someone could say “I waited for an hour, but she never showed up.” Or picture an old friend who suddenly shows up at your door unannounced after years of no contact. The word often carries a sense of surprise, delay, or uncertainty about whether the person would come at all. ✏️ “Turn up” means the same thing. You can also drop the “up” in very casual speech — “he didn’t even show” — but “show up” is the standard form.

Vivid example: The job interview was at nine o’clock sharp. She showed up twenty minutes early, neatly dressed and well prepared. The manager was impressed before they even started talking.

This meaning is about something becoming easy to see or detect — appearing clearly. Imagine getting a blood test and the doctor telling you the infection didn’t show up in the results — it means it wasn’t visible or detectable. This is showing up — becoming noticeable. You might hear “the stain really shows up against the white shirt” or someone could say “the problem didn’t show up until we tested the software.” Or picture a crack in a wall that only shows up when the sunlight hits it at a certain angle. The phrase suggests that something becomes apparent, often when you weren’t expecting it. ✏️ Very common in medical and technical contexts — “the X-ray showed up a fracture” or “the error showed up during testing.”

Vivid example: The painting looked perfect under normal lighting. But when the restorer shone an ultraviolet lamp across it, hidden brushstrokes showed up beneath the surface. The painting had been altered at some point in its history.

This meaning is about behaving in a way that makes someone you’re with feel ashamed or uncomfortable in front of others. Imagine being at a family wedding and your uncle starts dancing wildly and singing loudly — he’s showing you up in front of everyone. This is showing someone up — making them cringe because of what you’re doing. You might hear “please don’t show me up in front of my colleagues” or someone could say “my dad showed me up by telling embarrassing stories about my childhood.” Or picture a teenager whose mother waves and shouts their name across a crowded school car park. The phrase carries a strong sense of social discomfort — you wish you could disappear. ✏️ This is separable — “show me up,” “show him up,” “show yourself up.” “Show yourself up” means you embarrass yourself by your own behaviour.

Vivid example: Her boyfriend ordered food in the most obnoxious way, snapping his fingers at the waiter. She felt completely shown up in front of everyone at the table. On the way home, she told him exactly how she felt.

This meaning is about making someone’s flaws or a system’s problems clearly obvious, often through comparison or testing. Imagine a new employee joining a team and immediately performing better than everyone else — her talent shows up the weaknesses of the existing staff. This is showing something up — revealing what’s wrong by contrast or exposure. You might hear “the audit showed up serious problems in the company’s finances” or someone could say “playing against a stronger team really showed up our lack of fitness.” Or think about a new school opening in the area that shows up just how outdated the old school’s facilities are. The phrase suggests that the faults were always there but are now impossible to ignore. ✏️ This often works through comparison — one thing being better or newer makes the other’s weaknesses painfully obvious.

Vivid example: The team thought they were well prepared for the tournament. But the first match against a professional side showed up just how far behind they really were. They lost five-nil and went straight back to training.