up
A1Universal
Definition
Meaning
a direction or position opposite to down, indicating vertical movement toward a higher point or a state of readiness/increase.
Beyond physical direction, it can denote completion, alertness, increase, approach, and abstract concepts like emotional states or functioning.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
One of the most polysemous words in English. Functions as adverb, preposition, adjective, verb, and noun. Its meaning is highly context-dependent.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Some collocational preferences exist (e.g., 'up to' meaning 'until' is more common in UK English). Phrasal verb use is identical.
Connotations
Identical core connotations. 'Up' in sports scores (UK: 'one up') is slightly more common in UK English.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both variants.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[V] up [NP] (pick up the book)[V] [NP] up (pick the book up)[BE] up (He is up)[V] up (Prices went up)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “up in the air”
- “on the up and up”
- “up against it”
- “up for grabs”
- “up to scratch”
- “what's up?”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Profits are up. The project is up and running. We need to step up our efforts.
Academic
The study builds up a compelling argument. Temperature was up by 3 degrees.
Everyday
I'm up early today. Can you turn the volume up? What's up?
Technical
Server is up. Upload the file. Bring the system up.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- They decided to up their offer.
- He upped and left without warning.
American English
- The company upped its marketing budget.
- She just upped and quit.
adverb
British English
- She looked up at the sky.
- Prices have gone up again.
American English
- Stand up straight.
- Can you speak up, please?
adjective
British English
- The up train to London leaves at nine.
- Is the system up yet?
American English
- The up escalator is out of order.
- Are the network servers up?
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Please sit up straight.
- The sun comes up in the east.
- Pick up your pencil.
- I'll look up the address online.
- She ended up moving to Canada.
- Turn the heating up a bit.
- He wasn't up to the task emotionally.
- The issue came up during the meeting.
- We need to beef up our security.
- The new evidence backs up the original theory.
- She's been climbing up the corporate ladder swiftly.
- He's really up on current geopolitical affairs.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine an upward-pointing arrow or a person standing UP from a chair.
Conceptual Metaphor
GOOD IS UP (feeling up), MORE IS UP (prices are up), CONSCIOUS IS UP (wake up), CONTROL IS UP (up on the latest news).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating 'up' literally in every phrasal verb (e.g., 'give up' ≠ 'дать вверх').
- 'Up to' has multiple meanings (capable of, until, doing something secretly).
- Confusion between 'up' as an adverb of completion ('eat up', 'use up') and direction.
Common Mistakes
- *I up woke early. (Correct: I woke up early.)
- *He lives up the street from me. (Correct: He lives up the street from me.) (Note: This is actually correct; a better example might be confusing 'up to' and 'until')
- Confusing 'up' (adverb/preposition) with 'above' or 'over'.
Practice
Quiz
In the sentence 'Time's up!', what part of speech is 'up'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it has many abstract uses indicating completion, increase, or state (e.g., 'eat up', 'cheer up', 'the computer is up').
Yes, informally meaning to increase or raise something (e.g., 'They upped the price') or to suddenly do something ('He upped and left').
'Up to' can mean 'until' a point in time, but also means 'as many as' or 'capable of'. 'Until' is solely temporal. (Up to 50 people can come. I worked until 6pm.)
'Up' often adds a nuance of completion, intensity, or verticality to the base verb, creating a wide range of idiomatic meanings (e.g., 'break up', 'clean up', 'give up').