land up

land up — phrasal verb

  • land upbase form
  • lands up3rd person singular
  • landing up-ing form
  • landed uppast simple

1. to reach a particular place, situation, or state after a series of events, usual

1.phrasal verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to reach a particular place, situation, or state after a series of events, usually without having planned or intended to

Example

The Singh family took a wrong turn and landed up in a small fishing village.

land up + in [place]

If you borrow too much money, you may land up with serious debts.

land up + with [unwanted situation]

Common collocations
  • land up in hospital
  • land up with nothing
  • land up doing something you hate
  • land up back home
  • land up in trouble
Synonyms
  • end up

    More common in both British and American English; neutral register

  • finish up

    Chiefly British informal; often implies a final state after a process

  • wind up

    Slightly more common than 'land up'; can be used in both British and American English

Grammar Patterns

land up + in/at/on [place]

land up + doing [something]

land up + with [something/someone]

Usage Note

Informal, primarily British English. The gerund-participle form ('landed up working', 'landing up in trouble') is common. Cannot take a direct object. More common in spoken than written registers.

Common Mistakes

She landed up a great job at the bank.
She landed up with a great job at the bank.
'land up' needs a preposition or -ing form; it cannot take a direct object.
We will land up at the party around nine.' (when you mean you planned to go)
We will end up at the party around nine.
'land up' implies an unplanned result, not an intentional destination.

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrasal verb/1

All four phrasal verbs express reaching a final place or state, but they differ in register and frequency. 'End up' is the most neutral and by far the most common in both British and American English — it fits any context from casual chat to news reports. 'Finish up' is chiefly British and informal, often suggesting the end of a process ('We finished up in a pub near the station'). 'Wind up' is slightly more common than 'land up' and can carry a faint sense of inevitability ('She wound up running the whole project'). 'Land up' is the least frequent of the group and is restricted to informal British speech, often with a hint of surprise at the outcome. In writing, 'end up' is almost always a safer choice. Example: 'Tomás set off for Madrid but ended up (not: landed up) in Lisbon because he missed the connection.'

end up ↗finish up ↗wind up

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

The phrasal verb 'land up' developed from the literal sense of 'land' (to arrive on shore or ground) combined with the particle 'up' (indicating completion or finality). By the mid-19th century, it was used figuratively to mean 'arrive at a final state or situation, especially unexpectedly'. The verb 'land' itself comes from Old English 'land' (ground, soil), from Proto-Germanic *landą.