to turn up
- phrasal verb
- /tɜrn ʌp/
- She decided to turn up the collar of her coat to protect her neck from the cold wind.
- turn up the collar
- turn up the coat
Examples
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He always likes to turn up the ends of his pants to give them a stylish look.
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Make sure to turn up the edge of the canvas before you staple it to the frame.
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And, um, can you turn up the house lights?
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Had it turned up a little too high.
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"Turn up the television, dear."
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- Turn up the volume!
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Can we turn up the air, Phil?
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Turn up the monitors a bit and we'll be there.
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The supervisor reaches over and turns up the volume on the speaker.
Fiction book (1996) -
The librarian on duty was on the phone, trying to get someone to turn up the heat.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
Bend something so one part lies on top of another
Bend something, like a map or blanket, so it becomes small for storage
Antonyms
How Folded
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'turn' (move/rotate) and 'up' (toward a higher position or result) give a plausible, partially predictable sense of moving or lifting a collar edge, so a learner who knows both words could approximate the meaning. However, the specific notion of folding an edge and the fact that 'turn up' has several unrelated senses (e.g. appear, increase volume) make the exact sense not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The phrasal verb turn up comes from the literal act of turning an edge up, for example folding a coat collar or trouser cuff so the edge points upward. So to 'turn up' a collar or cuff means 'to fold' it so the edge is up.