up

I looked up and saw the airplane overhead.

Shoots grow up and roots grow down.

Indicating movement towards or location at a higher place or position.

Away from the surface of the Earth or other planet; in opposite direction to the downward pull of gravity.

All day we climbed up and up.

Lift the carpet up and look underneath.

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!’

To or at a physically higher or more elevated position.

sit up; stand up; get up out of bed

Gold has gone up with the uncertainty in the world markets.

Turn it up, I can barely hear it.

Listen to your voice go up at the end of a question.

Cheer up, the weekend's almost here.

(figuratively) To a higher level of some quantity or notional quantity, such as price, volume, pitch, happiness, etc.

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.

Indicating movement in any other direction visualised as "up".

To or towards what is considered the top of something, irrespective of whether this is presently physically higher.

I live in Florida, but I'm going up to New York to visit my family this weekend.

To the north (as north is at the top of typical maps).

We travelled from Yorkshire up to London.

I'm going up to the other end of town.

He lives up by the railway station.

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.

(rail transport) Towards the principal terminus, towards milepost zero.

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:

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:

(UK, academia, dated) To university, especially to Cambridge or Oxford.

We started in London and rowed all the way up to Oxford.

Towards the source of a river, against the direction of flow.

(Cartesian graph) In a positive vertical direction.

I was up to my chin in water.

A stranger came up and asked me for directions.

I'm going to be walking quickly, but try to keep up with me.

To or in a position of equal advance or equality; not short of, back of, less advanced than, away from, etc.; usually followed by to or with.

I will mix up the puzzle pieces.

Tear up the contract.

He really messed up.

Please type up our monthly report.

Drink up. The pub is closing.

Can you sum up your research?

The meteor burned up in the atmosphere.

I need to sew up the hole in this shirt.

(intensifier) Used as an aspect marker to indicate a completed action or state; thoroughly, completely.

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.

Instead of apologising, he offered up excuse after excuse.

to lay up riches; put up your weapons

Aside or away, so as no longer to be present or in use.

The bowler pitched the ball up.

(cricket) Relatively close to the batsman.

A Cosmopolitan is typically served up.

(US, bartending) Without additional ice.

down

antonym(s) of “away from the centre of the Earth”

down

antonym(s) of “towards the principal terminus”

upp

riva upp ett kontrakt = tear up a contract

上りに

rail transport: the direction towards milepost zero

From Middle English up, from Old English upp, from Proto-Germanic *upp, see more there.


up

The cat climbed up the tree.

They walk up the steps.

Her eyes scanned up and down the page.

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:

The information made its way up the chain of command to the general.

I felt something crawling up my arm.

Toward the center, source, or main point of reference; toward the end at which something is attached.

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 2012-10-31:

Go up the street until you see the sign.

He led an expedition up the Amazon.

From the mouth towards the source of (a river or waterway).

Phwoar, look at that bird. I'd love to be up her.

(vulgar slang) Of a person: having sex with.

I'll see you later up the snooker club.

“I'll tell you how I got on in the fight if I should see you up the Smokers.”

2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, published 2016, page 94:

(colloquial) At (a given place, especially one imagined to be higher or more distant from a central location).

-ra/-re fel (used simultaneously with the suffix)


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:

The flood waters are up again across large areas of the country.

Where is the up escalator?

Headed or designated to go upward (as an escalator, stairway, elevator etc.) or toward (as a run-up).

All the notices are up now.

The Christmas decorations are up.

Fitted or fixed at a high or relatively high position, especially on a wall or ceiling.

Is your new video up yet? I looked on the website, but I couldn't find it.

(by extension) Available to view or use; made public; posted.

The kite is up!

The castle drawbridge was up.

Don't go into the living room just now – I've got the carpet up.

Are the new buildings up yet?

The audience were up and on their feet.

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 […], Act I:

(obsolete) Risen up, rebelling, in revolt.

I can’t believe it’s 3 a.m. and you’re still up.

(horse-racing) Riding the horse; mounted.

It'll get warmer once the sun's up.

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:

(of the sun or moon) Above the horizon, in the sky.

Sales are up compared to last quarter.

My temperature is up this morning.

Larger; greater in quantity, volume, value etc.

The barometer is up, so fine weather should be on the way.

The home team were up by two goals at half-time.

Time is up!

Her contract is up next month, so it's time to negotiate another one.

I’m feeling up today.

If you are up for a trip, let’s go.

(usually in the phrase up for) Willing; ready.

Smith is up to bat.

What's up, bro?

What is up with that project at headquarters?

When I saw his face, I knew something was up.

(predicative only) Happening; new; of concern. See also what's up, what's up with.

AAKK = aces up

QQ33 = queens up

(poker, postnominal) Said of the higher-ranking pair in a two pair.

I’m not up on the latest news. What’s going on?

Is the server back up?

The London train is on the up line.

(of a railway line or train) Traveling towards a major terminus.

Would you like that drink up or on ice?

(US, bartending) Chilled and served without ice.

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:

(UK, dated) At university (especially Oxford or Cambridge).

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:

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, 1969

2003, Nicolas Barker, The Devonshire Inheritance: Five Centuries of Collecting at Chatsworth:

down

antonym(s) of “traveling towards a major terminus”

上り方向に

rail transport: traveling towards a major terminus


up

Up is a good way to go.

(uncountable) The direction opposed to the pull of gravity.

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.

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:

(countable) A positive thing, or a time or situation when things are going well.

She lives in a two-up two-down.

en-noun

up (countable and uncountable, plural ups)

down

antonym(s) of “direction opposed to the pull of gravity”


up

We upped anchor and sailed away.

(transitive, poetic or in certain phrases) 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.

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

2008, 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:

(transitive, colloquial) To increase the level or amount of.

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 there

1940, Jessica Mitford, Peter Y. Sussman, Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford, published 2010, page 64:

"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 Untouchables

2005, Larry Brody, Turning Points in Television, page 70:

She was sitting there quietly, then all of a sudden she upped and left.

He just upped and quit.

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 away

(intransitive, often in combination with another verb) To rise to a standing position; hence, by extension, to act suddenly; see also up and.

"Will ye up, lass, and ride behind me?".

1863, Charles Kingsley, The Water Babies, page 10:

(intransitive, archaic or poetic) To ascend; to climb up.

100 new apps and games have just been upped.

(computing, slang, transitive) To upload.

en-verb

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

ups (present singular third-person)
upping (participle present)
upped (participle past)
upped (past)