upward
adverb
up·ward
| \ ˈəp-wərd
\
\
variants:
or upwards \ ˈəp-wərdz
\
\
Definition of upward
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: in a direction from lower to higher
the kite rose upward
b(1)
: toward the source (as of a river)
(2)
: toward the interior (as of a region)
c
: in a higher position
held out his hand, palm upward
d
: in the upper parts : toward the head : above
from the waist upward
2
: toward a higher or better condition or level
young lawyers moving upward
3a
: to an indefinitely greater amount, figure, or rank
from $5 upward
b
: toward a greater amount or higher number, degree, or rate
attendance figures have risen upward
4
: toward or into later years
from youth upward
upward
adjectiveDefinition of upward (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: directed toward or situated in a higher place or level : ascending
2
: rising to a higher pitch
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Examples of upward in a Sentence
Adverb
The road gradually rose upward. She directed my gaze upward. They are moving upward socially and economically. moving upward in the corporate worldAdjective
an upward revision of the vote tally
Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
Its direction is usually upward, in opposition to gravity, and its magnitude is whatever’s needed to stop weird things like that from happening. — Wired, "How to Rip a Crazy Skateboard Loop With Physics," 6 Sep. 2019 WeWork members typically pay on a monthly basis, with cancellations expected to tick upward in in global recession. — Lucinda Shen, Fortune, "Would You Invest In WeWork? Here’s the Bull and Bear Case Before Its IPO," 1 Sep. 2019 As production in the Bakken Formation raced upward from 112 million barrels in 2010 to nearly half a billion barrels last year, the severance taxes feeding the North Dakota Legacy Fund have swelled its balance to $6.2 billion. — Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, "Is it too late for Colorado to capture billions of dollars in oil and gas tax revenues in a permanent fund?," 18 Aug. 2019 But there’s still quite a lot of work to be done before Dream Chaser is shooting upward on a Vulcan rocket. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Sierra Nevada picks the future Vulcan rocket to fly its mini-spaceplane to orbit," 14 Aug. 2019 At Braddock Road, the platform was bowed slightly upward on both sides, out of alignment with train doors. — Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, "Metro says stations closed for shutdown will reopen on time next month — unless there’s a really bad storm," 9 Aug. 2019 But at roughly the sun’s distance from the core, the galaxy begins to bend, flexing upward in one direction and flopping down in the other. — Nadia Drake, National Geographic, "The Milky Way is warped around the edges, new star map confirms," 1 Aug. 2019 Here, rising temperatures are spurring rampant ice loss that, in turn, drives the thermometer even further upward in a self-reinforcing vicious cycle. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Greenland Lost 12.5 Billion Tons of Ice in a Single Day," 1 Aug. 2019 The survey also found that President Donald Trump's overall approval rating ticked upward to 48 percent in July, compared to 45 percent in a NBC News|SurveyMonkey online poll in September. — NBC News, "NBC News poll: Biden, Sanders and Warren lead 2020 field," 19 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Here's how the sides got on in their last five fixtures: Things are less bleak at Newcastle as results and performances have taken an upward turn. — SI.com, "Liverpool vs Newcastle Preview: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Streams, Kick Off Time & Team News," 11 Sep. 2019 Oceanic life on Earth depends on an upward flow, or upwelling, which moves nutrients from the dark depths to sunlit portions where photosynthetic life thrives. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Exoplanets could have better conditions for life than Earth, study says," 23 Aug. 2019 Since Burry spoke out about his investment earlier this week, GameStop's stock price has taken an unusual upward turn rising as much as 20% Thursday. — Dallas News, "Why is 'Big Short' investor betting big on struggling GameStop?," 23 Aug. 2019 Everything seemed so wondrous, on an endless upward spiral. — National Geographic, "How the Titanic was lost and found," 22 Aug. 2019 The Curcuma plant grows from a rhizome (bulb) with upward growth similar to the perennial tulip bulb back north. — Stan Davidson, sun-sentinel.com, "Spice up your landscape with Curcuma," 22 Aug. 2019 Speaking of trellises, upward movement is key in small spaces. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "Bunny Williams Shows How to Create a Potager, AKA a French-Style Garden," 20 Aug. 2019 Another upward price adjustment is scheduled to go into effect next year. — L.m. Sixel, Houston Chronicle, "New price adders boosting electricity prices in Texas," 13 Aug. 2019 But the group University of Buffalo researchers found a way to beam the emissions in a narrow, upward direction. — Chase Purdy, Quartz, "Scientists are using the cold of outer space to rethink air conditioning," 5 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upward.' 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 upward
upward
adverb
English Language Learners Definition of upward
(Entry 1 of 2)
: from a lower place or level to a higher place or level
: toward the ceiling, sky, etc.
: toward a higher or better condition or position
upward
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of upward (Entry 2 of 2)
: moving or going from a lower place or level to a higher place or level
: moving or going toward the ceiling, sky, etc.
: changing to a larger amount or higher number
See the full definition for upward in the English Language Learners Dictionary
upward
adverb
up·ward
| \ ˈəp-wərd
\
\
variants:
or upwards \ -wərdz \
Kids Definition of upward
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: in a direction from lower to higher
The balloon floated upward.
2
: toward a higher or better state
3
: toward a greater amount or a higher number or rate
4
: toward the head
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