Pop up means to appear suddenly and unexpectedly: on a screen, as a problem or question, or as a person you haven't seen for a while. With a hyphen, pop-up is an adjective and a noun: a pop-up window. That's why windows and ads that suddenly appear on screen are simply called pop-ups.
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window/message/problem + pop up; pop up + on the screen/everywhere; a pop-up + window/shop
- A message popped up on my screen asking me to update the app.
- Small problems kept popping up, so the move took a whole week.
- A pop-up café opened near the station for the summer festival.
What changed
First versionWhen I opened the site, an annoying window popped out.
RevisionWhen I opened the site, an annoying window popped up.
Pop out can seem right for a window that suddenly appears, but pop out means to come out of something, for example out of a pocket or from behind a corner. On a screen, windows and messages pop up. Only the particle was changed.
A pop-up shop or pop-up café is a temporary place in a real building: it opens for a few weeks or months and then disappears. A pop-up bookshop opened at the station for December. Pop in is something else: to visit briefly, I'll pop in after work.
Your turn
I haven't heard from Dima for years, and suddenly his name ___ on my phone yesterday.
Show the answer
popped up — The name of someone you haven't heard from in years suddenly appeared on the screen, so popped up. Popped in means “visited briefly”, which is said about a person dropping by, not a name on a phone.
Describe an unexpected problem that came up in your studies or at work. Say when it appeared.
Two days before my presentation, a problem popped up with the projector in our meeting room.
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