upon
preposition
up·on
| \ ə-ˈpȯn
, -ˈpän\
, -ˈpän\
Definition of upon
(Entry 1 of 2)
: on
upon
adverb
up·on
| \ ə-ˈpȯn
, -ˈpän\
, -ˈpän\
Definition of upon (Entry 2 of 2)
1
obsolete
: on the surface : on it
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Examples of upon in a Sentence
Preposition
He carefully placed the vase upon the table. They built their city upon a cliff overlooking the sea. She was seated upon a throne. an assault upon traditional values She was admitted to his office immediately upon her arrival. That kind of behavior is frowned upon.
Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition
Once upon a time models only walked runways in cornrows and natural hair when designers wanted to make a deliberate statement with their show, often resulting in tense conversations around cultural appropriation. — Shalwah Evans, Essence, "Keke Palmer Walked Her First NYFW Runway In Cornrows And Red Lips," 11 Sep. 2019 Bercow determines which amendments will be voted on and who will be called upon to speak, and uses his position to silence rabble rousers and rule on questions of parliamentary procedure. — Washington Post, "End of an era: UK House Speaker John Bercow to step down," 9 Sep. 2019 Once upon a time, there was a true unicorn, a startup named Uber. — Wired, "How Uber Went Down in Flames," 6 Sep. 2019 Deputy District Attorney Kyle Sutterley alleged in his opening statement that upon waking to the condo ablaze, Lopez tried to save himself, rather than securing the children’s safety. — Pomerado News, "Trial continues for Rancho Bernardo man accused of sparking fatal fire," 6 Sep. 2019 The consensus is that once-skittish coyotes seem to be encroaching upon homesteads and attacking pets, even in the presence of their human owners. — Sara Cardine, La Cañada Valley Sun, "Coyote encounters too close for some La Cañada residents, pet owners," 5 Sep. 2019 The sentence had been agreed upon by Harris' attorneys and prosecutors as part of the plea. — Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati.com, "Asbestos cleanup at former Lawrence County power plant to cost millions," 3 Sep. 2019 But the over-55s should take it upon themselves to keep up with technological changes. — The Economist, "People are working longer for reasons of choice and necessity," 2 Sep. 2019 No correlation without causation As Huff explained, once upon a time, a study showed non-smokers got better college grades than smokers. — Ken Fisher, USA TODAY, "Watch out, investors, statistics can lie. Your 401(k) will thank you seeing the truth," 1 Sep. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for upon
upon
preposition
English Language Learners Definition of upon
formal
—used to say that someone or something is very close or has arrived
—used to emphasize something that is repeated many times
See the full definition for upon in the English Language Learners Dictionary
upon
preposition
up·on
| \ ə-ˈpȯn
, ə-ˈpän\
, ə-ˈpän\
Kids Definition of upon
: on entry 1
I put the plate upon the table. … she was glad to be an ordinary person who would never be called upon for courage.— Lois Lowry, Number the Stars
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