From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcrop up phrasal verb1 HAPPENif a problem crops up, it happens or appears suddenly and in an unexpected way SYN arise2 HAPPENif something such as a name or a subject crops up, it appears in something you read or hear SYN come up Your name kept cropping up in conversation. → crop→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
crop up• You have to learn to deal with difficult situations when they crop up.• If anything crops up, give me a call.• A couple of problems cropped up while you were away. 