end up

verb

ended up; ending up; ends up
: to reach or come to a place, condition, or situation that was not planned or expected
The book ended up in the trash.
He didn't want to end up like his father.
She ended up a rich woman.
He ended up (living) in a nursing home.
The movie we wanted to see was sold out so we ended up seeing a different one.

Examples of end up in a Sentence

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If this ends up being it for the Bengals, that’s quite a risk, hoping nothing happens to Amarius Mims or Orlando Brown. Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026 One evening, some friends and I ended up at an underground rave in the ballroom of a Chelsea hotel. Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 To the left, brown boxes and pallets lie in stacks where the youth services section will end up eventually. Idaho Statesman, 30 Aug. 2026 However, Styles’ fiancé, Zoe Kravitz, did end up attending the Swift-Kelce mega-wedding. Marlow Stern, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for end up

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Cite this Entry

“End up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/end%20up. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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