up
upped; upping
Up is a word that means "from lower to higher," so you can use it when you go up in a hot air balloon, when you look up at the clouds, or when you graduate from high school and move up in the world.
As an adjective or adverb, up almost always conveys a movement or position that's higher (or sometimes, northward). You jump up and put your shoes on when you're late for school, turn up the volume on the car stereo when your favorite song comes on, get cheered up by your new kitten, and watch the prices at your favorite bakery go up as it becomes more popular. In the 1500s, the verb up also meant "to catch swans."
Definitions of up
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spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position
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to a higher intensity“he turned up the volume”
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Antonyms:
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down
to a lower intensity
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down
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to a more central or a more northerly place“was transferred up to headquarters”“up to Canada for a vacation”
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Antonyms:
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down
away from a more central or a more northerly place
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down
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nearer to the speaker“he walked up and grabbed my lapels”
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being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level“the anchor is up”“the sun is up”“he lay face up”“he is up by a pawn”“the market is up”“the corn is up”
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Synonyms:
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high
(literal meaning) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high')
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ascending
moving or going or growing upward
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ahead, in the lead, leading
having the leading position or higher score in a contest
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aweigh
(used of an anchor) hanging clear of the bottom
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dormie, dormy
in match play a side that stands as many holes ahead as there are holes remaining to be played
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heavenward, skyward
directed toward heaven or the sky
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risen
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
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sprouted
(of growing vegetation) having just emerged from the ground
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upbound
heading in any direction that is conventionally up
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upfield
away from the defending teams' end of the playing field
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upward
directed up
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Antonyms:
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down
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
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low
literal meanings; being at or having a relatively small elevation or upward extension
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descending
coming down or downward
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behind
having the lower score or lagging position in a contest
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downbound
heading in any direction that is conventionally down
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downcast
directed downward
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downfield
toward or in the defending team's end of the playing field
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downward
on or toward a surface regarded as a base
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fallen
having dropped by the force of gravity
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set
being below the horizon
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thrown
caused to fall to the ground
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weak
tending downward in price
- show more antonyms...
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high
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extending or moving toward a higher place
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getting higher or more vigorous
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open“the windows are up”
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Synonyms:
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raised
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
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raised
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out of bed
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raise“up the ante”
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type of:
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increase
make bigger or more
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increase
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to a later time
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(usually followed by `on' or `for') in readiness“he was up on his homework”“had to be up for the game”
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Synonyms:
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prepared
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
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prepared
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(used of computers) operating properly“how soon will the computers be up?”
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Synonyms:
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functioning
performing or able to perform its regular function
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functioning
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used up“time is up”
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Synonyms:
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finished
ended or brought to an end
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finished
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘up'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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