upward
Americanadverb
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toward a higher place or position.
The birds flew upward.
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toward a higher or more distinguished condition, rank, level, etc..
His employer wishes to move him upward in the company.
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to a greater degree; more.
fourscore and upward.
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toward a large city, the source or origin of a stream, or the interior of a country or region.
They followed the Thames River upward from the North Sea to London.
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in the upper parts; above.
adjective
idioms
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of upward
before 900; Middle English; Old English upweard (cognate with Dutch opwaart ). See up-, -ward
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The gases then moved upward through the sediment and eventually reached microbes living near the seafloor that consumed methane.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
That is putting more upward pressure on the price to go through the Panama Canal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Tourtsakis had me lie down and shuffle upward until the pyramid’s center was over my hips.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
“Meanwhile, the AI data center buildout is adding copper-intensive load on a two- to three-year cycle, pointing to a structurally tighter market and upward pressure on prices,” says Slok.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
It floated upward and hovered near the ceiling, then burst into countless sprays of gold that glittered in the air like fireworks.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
