up (up)

adverb

• 1towards a higher place or position: he jumped up two of the men hoisted her up the curtain went up
• upstairs: she made her way up to bed
• (of the sun) visible after daybreak: the sun was already up when they set off
• expressing movement towards or position in the north: he’s driving up to Inverness to see the old man
• to or at a place perceived as higher: I’m going for a walk up to the shops
• [as exclamation] used as a command to a soldier or an animal to stand up and be ready to move or attack: up, boys, and at 'em
• (of food that has been eaten) regurgitated from the stomach: I was ill and vomited up everything

• 2at or to a higher level of intensity, volume, or activity: she turned the volume up liven up the graphics US environmental groups had been stepping up their attack on GATT
• at or to a higher price, value, or rank: sales are up 22.8 per cent at $50.2 m unemployment is up
• winning or at an advantage by a specified margin: United were 3-1 up at half time we came away £300 up on the evening

• 3to the place where someone is: Dot didn’t hear Mrs Parvis come creeping up behind her

• 4towards or in the capital or a major city: give me a ring when you’re up in London
• British at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge: they were up at Cambridge about the same time

• 5into the desired or a proper condition: the government agreed to set up a committee of inquiry
• so as to be finished or closed: I’ve got a bit of paperwork to finish up he zipped up the holdall

• 6into a happy mood: I don’t think anything’s going to cheer me up

• 7out of bed: Miranda hardly ever got up for breakfast

• 8displayed on a noticeboard or other publicly visible site: sticking up posters to advertise concerts

• 9(of sailing) against the current or the wind: the bow of the boat was brought slowly up into the wind and held there
• (of a ship’s helm) moved round to windward so that the rudder is to leeward.

• 10 Baseball at bat: every time up, he had a different stance

preposition

• 1from a lower to a higher point of (something): she climbed up a flight of steps
• to a higher part of (a river or stream), away from the sea: a cruise up the Rhine

• 2along or further along (a street or road): he lived up the road walking up the street

• 3 informal at or to (a place): we’re going up the Palais

adjective

• 1 [attributive] directed or moving towards a higher place or position: the up escalator
• relating to or denoting trains travelling towards the major point on a route: the first up train

• 2 [predic.] at an end: his contract was up in three weeks time’s up

• 3 [predic.] (of a road) being repaired.

• 4 [predic.] (of a computer system) functioning properly: the system is now up

• 5 [predic.] in a cheerful mood; ebullient: the mood here is resolutely up

• 6(of a jockey) in the saddle.

• 7 Physics denoting a flavour of quark having a charge of + 2/ 3. Protons and neutrons are thought to be composed of combinations of up and down quarks.

noun

• a period of good fortune: you can’t have ups all the time in football

verb (ups, upping, upped)

• 1 [no object] (up and do something) informal do something unexpectedly: she upped and left him

• 2 [with object] increase (a level or amount): capacity will be upped by 70 per cent next year

• 3 [with object] lift (something) up: everybody was cheering and upping their glasses
• [no object] (up with) West Indian & US informal raise or pick up (something): this woman ups with a stone