Etymology From Middle English up, op, oup, from Old English upp, up, ūp (“up”), from Proto-West Germanic *upp, *ūp, from Proto-Germanic *upp, *eup (“up”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ap (“up”), West Frisian op (“up”), Dutch op (“up”), German Low German up, op (“up”), German auf (“up”), Danish op (“up”), Swedish upp (“up”), Icelandic upp (“up”), Gothic 𐌹𐌿𐍀 (iup, “up”).
Away from the surface of the Earth or other planet; in opposite direction to the downward pull of gravity.
I looked up and saw the airplane overhead.
Shoots grow up and roots grow down.
2
To or at a physically higher or more elevated position.
All day we climbed up and up.
Lift the carpet up and look underneath.
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He lives up in the hills.
1925, Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), Rupert Julian (director), The Phantom of the Opera, silent movie ‘The Phantom! The Phantom is up from the cellars again!’
3
To an upright or erect position.
sit up; stand up; get up out of bed
4
Figuratively To a higher level of some quantity or notional quantity, such as price, volume, pitch, happiness, etc.
Gold has gone up with the uncertainty in the world markets.
Turn it up, I can barely hear it.
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Listen to your voice go up at the end of a question.
Cheer up, the weekend's almost here.
› Indicating movement in any other direction…
5
To or towards what is considered the top of something, irrespective of whether this is presently physically higher.
Go back up to the top of the page.
As I lay on my back, a pain shot up from my toes to my chest.
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Let’s move up to the front of the bus.
6
To the north (as north is at the top of typical maps).
I live in Florida, but I'm going up to New York to visit my family this weekend.
7
Towards or at a central place, or any place that is visualised as 'up' by virtue of local features or local convention, or arbitrarily, irrespective of direction or elevation change.
Academia, Scholarly, SciencesUK, Dated To university, especially to Cambridge or Oxford.
She's going up to read Classics this September.
The son of the Dean of Lichfield was only three years older than Steele, who was a lad of only twelve, when at the age of fifteen, Addison went up to Oxford.1867, John Timbs, Lives of wits and humourists, page 125:
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Others insinuated that women 'crowded up to Cambridge', not for the benefits of a higher education, but because of the proximity of 2,000 young men.1998, Rita McWilliams Tullberg, Women at Cambridge, page 112:
A precocious mathematician, Babbage was already well versed in the Continental mathematical notations when he went up to Cambridge.2002, Peter Harman, Cambridge Scientific Minds, page 79:
Etymology From Middle English up, op, oup, from Old English upp, up, ūp (“up”), from Proto-West Germanic *upp, *ūp, from Proto-Germanic *upp, *eup (“up”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ap (“up”), West Frisian op (“up”), Dutch op (“up”), German Low German up, op (“up”), German auf (“up”), Danish op (“up”), Swedish upp (“up”), Icelandic upp (“up”), Gothic 𐌹𐌿𐍀 (iup, “up”).
Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
2
Toward the center, source, or main point of reference; toward the end at which something is attached.
The information made its way up the chain of command to the general.
I felt something crawling up my arm.
3
From south to north of.
We sailed up the East Coast of England from Ipswich to South Shields.
Though the storm raged up the East Coast, it has become increasingly apparent that New Jersey took the brunt of it.2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, retrieved 31 Oct 2012:
4
Further along (in any direction).
Go up the street until you see the sign.
5
From the mouth towards the source of (a river or waterway).
Etymology From Middle English up, op, oup, from Old English upp, up, ūp (“up”), from Proto-West Germanic *upp, *ūp, from Proto-Germanic *upp, *eup (“up”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ap (“up”), West Frisian op (“up”), Dutch op (“up”), German Low German up, op (“up”), German auf (“up”), Danish op (“up”), Swedish upp (“up”), Icelandic upp (“up”), Gothic 𐌹𐌿𐍀 (iup, “up”).
Turn the cloth over so that the patterned side is up.
Suppose that we roll a fair die and flip a fair coin in a game that awards 10 dollars whenever one pip shows on the up face of the die and 2 dollars whenever a head shows on the up side of the coin.1983, Gary E. Meek, Stephen J. Turner, Statistical Analysis for Business Decisions, page 41:
2
On or at a physically higher level.
The flood waters are up again across large areas of the country.
3
Headed or designated to go upward (as an escalator, stairway, elevator etc.) or toward (as a run-up).
Where is the up escalator?
4
Fitted or fixed at a high or relatively high position, especially on a wall or ceiling.
All the notices are up now.
The Christmas decorations are up.
5
Broadly Available to view or use; made public; posted.
Is your new video up yet? I looked on the website, but I couldn't find it.
6
Aloft.
The kite is up!
7
Raised; lifted.
The castle drawbridge was up.
Don't go into the living room just now – I've got the carpet up.
8
Australia Of a river, in flood or at a high level.
In the late afternoon we rode among the fine trees of the Barker, which was ‘up’ too, but not so strongly as the Lennard.1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 9:
The fearefull newes that whilſt the flame doth but begin, Sad pollicie may ſerue to quench the fire: The Commons nowe are vp in Kent, let vs not ſuffer this firſt attempt too farre.1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act I:
12
Awake and out of bed.
So if you find yourself regularly up late at night, basking in the TV's glow, you might be doing more than just depriving yourself of sleep.2025 December 9, Veronique Greenwood, “Your Bedroom Probably Isn't Dark Enough”, in TIME:
I have said I was still in darkness, yet it was not the blackness of the last night; and looking up into the inside of the tomb above, I could see the faintest line of light at one corner, which showed the sun was up.[1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
15
Larger; greater in quantity, volume, value etc.
Sales are up compared to last quarter.
My temperature is up this morning.
16
Indicating a larger or higher quantity.
The barometer is up, so fine weather should be on the way.
17
Ahead; leading; winning.
The home team were up by two goals at half-time.
18
Finished, at an end
Time is up!
Her contract is up next month, so it's time to negotiate another one.
19
In a good mood.
I’m feeling up today.
20
Willing; ready.
Usually in the phrase up for
If you are up for a trip, let’s go.
21
Next in a sequence.
Smith is up to bat.
22
Happening; new; of concern. See also what's up, what's up with.
UK, Dated At university (especially Oxford or Cambridge).
When I was up (1965–68) I had a group of idle friends who occupied their time and mine betting on horses, getting drunk and sprawling about telling creepy tales.2002, Philip Pullman, “Dreaming of Spires”, in Daemon Voices, Vintage, published 2017, page 98:
Being "up" means having numerous graffiti in the tagging landscape.1996, Matthew Busby Hunt, The Sociolinguistics of Tagging and Chicano Gang Graffiti, page 71:
Graffiti writers want their names seen by writers and others so that they will be famous. Therefore writers are very serious about any opportunity to “get up.” […] The throw-up became one of the fundamental techniques for getting up, and thereby gaining recognition and fame.2009, Gregory J. Snyder, Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York's Urban Underground, pages 16–40:
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From his great rooftop pieces, selected for high visibility, to his sneaky tags and fun loving stickers, he most certainly knows how to get up.2011, Adam Melnyk, Visual Orgasm: The Early Years of Canadian Graffiti:
Won by Park Top (Lester Piggott up), at Epsom on June 5, 19692003, Nicolas Barker, The Devonshire Inheritance: Five Centuries of Collecting at Chatsworth:
Etymology From Middle English up, op, oup, from Old English upp, up, ūp (“up”), from Proto-West Germanic *upp, *ūp, from Proto-Germanic *upp, *eup (“up”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ap (“up”), West Frisian op (“up”), Dutch op (“up”), German Low German up, op (“up”), German auf (“up”), Danish op (“up”), Swedish upp (“up”), Icelandic upp (“up”), Gothic 𐌹𐌿𐍀 (iup, “up”).
1
The direction opposed to the pull of gravity.
Up is a good way to go.
2
A positive thing, or a time or situation when things are going well.
I hate almost everything about my job. The only up is that it's so close to home.
There are many ups to caravanning, but also many downs.
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I've been on an up all this week.
One last impression — and one of the biggest "ups" for me — was the Saturday night cultural presentations.1976 February 14, Michael Bumblebee, “Gay Folks and The 'Hard Times'”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 33, page 3:
3
Natural sciences, Physical sciences, PhysicsParticle An up quark.
Etymology From Middle English up, op, oup, from Old English upp, up, ūp (“up”), from Proto-West Germanic *upp, *ūp, from Proto-Germanic *upp, *eup (“up”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ap (“up”), West Frisian op (“up”), Dutch op (“up”), German Low German up, op (“up”), German auf (“up”), Danish op (“up”), Swedish upp (“up”), Icelandic upp (“up”), Gothic 𐌹𐌿𐍀 (iup, “up”).
1
In certain phrases, Poetic To physically raise or lift.
If we up the volume, we may be able to hear what he says.
As usual, they've upped the prices for Valentine's Day.
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Part of the woman's mystique, I guess. Makes people want to meet her all the more. A year ago, she upped her stock with that crowd when she bought the Midnight Star — among the world's most famous star sapphires2008, Randy Wayne White, Black Widow, page 181:
After a dreadful performance in the opening 45 minutes, they upped their game after the break and might have taken at least a point from the match.2011 December 10, Marc Higginson, “Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa”, in BBC Sport:
It says that while European countries upped their subsidies by 6% between 2018-20, the growth in business was only 0.45%.2023 November 29, “Network News: European services 'stifled by subsidies', says ALLRAIL”, in RAIL, number 997, page 21:
It wasn’t long before they upped him to Vice President.
The other day Mr. Meyer came to see me in Weinbergers, it caused a great sensation & I think upped me a lot in prestige there1940, Jessica Mitford, Peter Y. Sussman, Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford, published 2010, page 64:
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"Ryker's a--" He swallowed. "A cop. Used to work Sleeve Theft, then they upped him to the Organic Damage Division.2003, Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon, page 136:
(And who, by the way, got his start as a producer from Desi Arnaz, who upped him from film editor to take charge of the Desilu series The Untouchables2005, Larry Brody, Turning Points in Television, page 70:
4
In compounds, Often, With another verb To rise to a standing position; hence, by extension, to act suddenly; see also up and.
She was sitting there quietly, then all of a sudden she upped and left.
He just upped and quit.
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He upped and punched that guy.
But the swagman he up and jumped into the waterhole, Drowning himself by the coolibah tree. And his ghost may be heard as it sings by the billabong, 'Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda, with me.'1895, “Waltzing Matilda”, Banjo Paterson (lyrics):
And she didn't leave a letter, she just upped and ran away1991, Michael Jackson, “Who Is It”: