upon
prepUK /əˈpɒn/ · AU, UK, SC /əˈpɔn/
Etymology From Middle English upon, uppon, uppen, from Old English upon, uppon, uppan (“on, upon, up to, against, after, in addition to”), equivalent to up (“adverb”) + on (“preposition”). Cognate with Old Saxon uppan (“upon”), Old High German ūfan, ūffan (“upon”), Icelandic upp á, upp á (“up on, upon”), Swedish uppå (“up on, upon”) (thence Swedish på), Danish på (“up on, upon”), Norwegian på (“up on, upon”).
1
A higher-register or more formal alternative to on in most, though not all, prepositional uses.
- A vase of flowers stood upon the table. — The painting hangs upon the wall. — All of the responsibility is upon him. — She plays upon a violin (or piano). — The lighthouse that you can see is upon the mainland. — He rested upon his elbows. — Tug upon the rope; push hard upon the door! — I stubbed my toe upon an old tree stump. — He wore old shoes upon his feet. — Born upon the 4th of July. — I have no opinion upon this subject. — They proceeded to arrest someone upon suspicion of bribery. — Upon Jack's entry, William got up to leave. — Before we knew it, the forest was upon us, and the air grew colder and damper. — What will be the effect upon morale? — Have pity or compassion upon him. — They lived upon ten dollars a week. — We ate heaps upon heaps of food. — I depended upon them for assistance. — He affirmed or promised upon his word. — Upon my life, I am innocent. — A curse upon him!
- Yesterday, upon the stair / I met a man who wasn’t there / He wasn’t there again today / I wish, I wish he’d go away …1899, Hughes Mearns, Antigonish:
4 more examples
- No news of them? Why, so: and I know not what's spend in the search: why thou loss upon loss! the thief gone with so much, and so much to find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge: nor no ill luck stirring but what lights on my shoulders; no sighs but of my breathing; no tears but of my shedding.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
- The drums play on The year of the dog is upon us.2023, Patricia Taxxon, “DEDGDEDCEGEOGCGHCOCTOHOTHTHT”, in TECHDOG:
- Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence.1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), page 373, column 2:
- Derived terms
164 terms
act upon, allot upon, Ashton upon Mersey, Barrow upon Humber, Barrow upon Soar, Barrow upon Trent, Barton upon Humber, Barton upon Irwell, base upon, bear upon, begin upon, Berwick-upon-Tweed, blow upon, Bolton upon Dearne, break a butterfly upon a wheel, break a butterfly upon the wheel, break a fly upon a wheel, break a fly upon the wheel, break upon the wheel, breathe upon, bring upon, build upon, Burton upon Stather, Burton upon Trent, butterfly upon a wheel, call upon, carry one's heart upon one's sleeve, cast one's bread upon the waters, chance upon, city upon a hill, Clifton-upon-Dunsmore, Clifton upon Teme, close in upon, come down upon, come upon, come upon the parish, come upon the town, condescend upon, count upon, dance upon nothing, dawn upon, decide upon, descend upon, down upon one's luck, draw upon, dwell upon, fall back upon, fall out upon, fall upon, fall upon someone's neck, fix upon, fly upon, frown upon, gain upon, hang upon, happen upon, have one's heart set upon, hereupon, hinge upon, hit upon, improve upon, jump upon, keep one's head upon one's shoulders, Kingston upon Hull, Kingston-upon-Thames, Kingston upon Thames, land upon, lay hold upon, lie upon, light upon, look down upon, look upon, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, once upon a time, out upon, pawn upon, peace be upon her, peace be upon him, pig upon bacon, pig upon pork, piss be upon him, pitch upon, play upon, play upon words, 'pon, prevail upon, prey upon, put a slight upon, put one's foot down upon, put upon, put-upon, rain death upon, reckon upon, reflect upon, rely upon, remark upon, rest upon, Richmond upon Thames, round upon, run upon sorts, seize upon, set fire upon, set one's heart upon, settle upon, set upon, shame upon me, shame upon you, shed light upon, shine down upon, shit upon, Singapore-upon-Thames, sit-upon, sit upon, stack-upon-the-kill, stand upon, stand upon one's dignity, stand upon one's terms, stand upon points, Stanton upon Hine Heath, Stoke upon Tern, Stratford-upon-Avon, stumble upon, swear upon, sweet upon, take it upon oneself, take upon oneself, thereupon, touch upon, tread upon, turn upon, two upon ten, upon a sixpence, upon a stound, upon a sudden, upon a time, upon my sivvy, upon my soul, upon my word, upon one's legs, upon one's speed, upon pain of, upon reflection, upon the back of, upon the books, upon the by, upon the carpet, upon the heels of, upon the instant, upon the matter, upon the pad, upon the point of, upon the square, upon the strength of, upon the tapis, upon the whole, upon the whole matter, upon the wing, wait upon, wait upon hand and foot, Wath upon Dearne, wear one's heart upon one's sleeve, whereupon, wish upon a star