up

English

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Etymology

From Old English upp, from Proto-Germanic *up-.

Pronunciation

Adverb

up (not comparable)

They are walking up the steps.
  1. Away from the centre of the Earth or other planet; in opposite direction to the downward pull of gravity.
    I looked up and saw the airplane overhead.
    They are walking up the steps.
  2. (intensifier) Used as an aspect marker to indicate a completed action or state Thoroughly, completely.
    I will mix up the puzzle pieces.
    Tear up the contract.
    He really messed up.
    Please type up our monthly report.
  3. North.
    I’m going up to New York to visit my family this weekend.
  4. Higher in pitch.
    Listen to your voice go up at the end of a question.
  5. Larger, greater:
    1. In quantity.
      Sales are up from last quarter
    2. In price.
      Gold has gone up with the uncertainty in the world markets.
    3. In volume of sound, louder.
      Turn it up, I can barely hear
  6. (rail transport) Traditional term for the direction leading to the principal terminus, towards milepost zero.
  7. (sailing) Against the wind or current.
  8. (Cartesian graph) In a positive vertical direction.
  9. (cricket) Relatively close to the batsman.
    The bowler pitched the ball up.
  10. (hospitality) Without the use of additional ice.
    Would you like that drink up or on ice?
  11. (UK, academia) Towards Cambridge or Oxford.
    She's going up to read Classics this September.
    • 1867, John Timbs, Lives of wits and humourists, p. 125
      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.
    • 1998, Rita McWilliams Tullberg, Women at Cambridge, p. 112
      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.
    • 2002, Peter Harman, Cambridge Scientific Minds, p. 79
      A precocious mathematician, Babbage was already well versed in the Continental mathematical notations when he went up to Cambridge.

Antonyms

  • (away from the centre of the Earth): down
  • (louder): down
  • (higher in pitch): down
  • (towards the principal terminus): down

Derived terms

terms derived from up (adverb)

Translations

away from earth’s centre
completely, thoroughly
north
higher, louder
higher in pitch
rail transport: the direction towards milepost zero
cricket: relatively close to the batsman
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Preposition

up

  1. Toward the top of.
    The cat went up the tree.
  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.
    They took a boat up the river from the coast.
    I felt something crawling up my arm.
  3. Further along (in any direction).
    Go up the street until you see the sign.
  4. Into or out of one's possession or consideration.
    I picked up some milk on the way home.
    The committee will take up your request.
    She had to give up her driver's license after the accident.
  5. From south to north of
    • 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "[1]," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):
      Though the storm raged up the East Coast, it has become increasingly apparent that New Jersey took the brunt of it.

Antonyms

  • (toward the top of): down

Derived terms

Terms derived from up (preposition)

Translations

toward the top
further along
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Adjective

up (not comparable)

  1. Awake.
    I can’t believe it’s 3 a.m. and you’re still up.
  2. Finished, to an end
    Time is up!
  3. In a good mood.
    I’m feeling up today.
  4. Willing; ready.
    If you are up for a trip, let’s go.
  5. Next in a sequence.
    Smith is next up to bat.
  6. Happening; new.
    What is up with that project at headquarters?
  7. Facing upwards; facing toward the top.
    Put the notebook face up on the table.
    Take a break and put your feet up.
  8. Standing.
    Get up and give her your seat.
  9. On a higher level.
  10. Available; made public.
    The new notices are up as of last Tuesday.
  11. Of a person, informed about; abreast of; current.
    I’m not up on the latest news. What’s going on?
  12. (computing) Functional; working.
    Is the server back up?
  13. (of a railway line or train) Traveling towards a major terminus.
    The London train is on the up line.
  14. Headed, or designated for going, upward, as an escalator, stairway, elevator etc.
  15. (bar tending) Served chilled and strained into a stemmed glass.
    A Cosmopolitan is typically served up.
  16. (slang) Erect.
  17. (of the Sun or Moon) Above the horizon, in the sky (i.e. during daytime or night-time)
    • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4
      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.
  18. (slang, graffiti) well-known; renowned
    • 1996, Matthew Busby Hunt, The Sociolinguistics of Tagging and Chicano Gang Graffiti (page 71)
      Being "up" means having numerous graffiti in the tagging landscape.
    • 2009, Gregory J. Snyder, Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York's Urban Underground (pages 16-40)
      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.
    • 2011, Adam Melnyk, Visual Orgasm: The Early Years of Canadian Graffiti
      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.

Antonyms

  • (facing upwards): down
  • (on a higher level): down
  • (computing: Functional): down
  • (traveling towards a major terminus): down

Derived terms

Terms derived from up (adjective)

Translations

awake
finished
in a good mood
ready, willing
next
facing upwards
standing
on a higher level
avaliable
informed about
functional
rail transport: traveling towards a major terminus
erect
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

up (usually uncountable; plural ups)

  1. (uncountable) The direction opposed to the pull of gravity.
    Up is a good way to go.
  2. (countable) A positive thing.
    I hate almost everything about my job. The only up is that it's so close to home.

Usage notes

  • Up is not commonly used as object of a preposition.

Antonyms

  • (direction opposed to the pull of gravity): down

Derived terms

Translations

direction opposed to the pull of gravity

Verb

up (third-person singular simple present ups, present participle upping, simple past and past participle upped)

  1. (transitive, colloquial) To increase or raise.
    If we up the volume, we'll be able to make out the details.
    • 2008, Randy Wayne White, Black Widow, page 181:
      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 sapphires
    • 2011 December 10, Marc Higginson, “Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa”, BBC Sport:
      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.
  2. (transitive, colloquial) To promote.
    It wasn’t long before they upped him to Vice President.
    • 1940, Jessica Mitford, Peter Y. Sussman, Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford, published 2010, page 64:
      The other day Mr. Meyer came to see me in Weinbergers, it caused a great sensation & I think upped me a lot in prestige there
    • 2003, Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon, page 136:
      "Ryker's a--" He swallowed. "A cop. Used to work Sleeve Theft, then they upped him to the Organic Damage Division.
    • 2005, Larry Brody, Turning Points in Television, page 70:
      (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 Untouchables
    • 2005, Lisa Valdez, Passion, page 17:
      " […] But tonight, she looks like a princess." She beamed. "A queen. An empress!" Alfred upped her.
  3. (intransitive) To act suddenly, usually with another verb.
    He just upped and quit.
    He upped and punched that guy.

Synonyms

Derived terms

terms derived from up (verb)

Translations

increase
promote

References

  • Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

Statistics

Anagrams

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Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ūp-.

Pronunciation

Adverb

ūp

  1. up

Preposition

ūp

  1. upon
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Last modified on 19 May 2013, at 17:17