Phrasal verb
land up in
Definition
phrasal verb. to end up in a place or situation by chance or without planning.
phrasal verb. to arrive in a place or situation unintentionally or unexpectedly; marked informal, often used in spoken contexts.
Examples
“He landed up in hospital after the accident.”
“After the storm, the boat landed up in a strange bay.”
“The lost hiker, who had intended to camp near the lake, instead landed up in a remote forest with no mobile signal.”
Examples
simple
“He landed up in hospital after the accident.”
contextual
“After the storm, the boat landed up in a strange bay.”
complex
“The lost hiker, who had intended to camp near the lake, instead landed up in a remote forest with no mobile signal.”
Usage
often used in spoken English; typically followed by a place or situation.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'end up in' (near-synonym) but note 'land up' carries stronger informal connotations and is more common in British English.
Pitfall
She landed up on the beach.
She landed up in the beach.
'in' is required when referring to a location, not 'on' — 'on the beach' describes position, 'in the beach' is incorrect; use 'at the beach' instead.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up in
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
land + up + in + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/land-up-in