upon
up and on; upward so as to get or be on: He climbed upon his horse and rode off.
in an elevated position on: There is a television antenna upon every house in the neighborhood.
in or into complete or approximate contact with, as an attacker or an important or pressing occasion: The enemy was upon us and our soldiers had little time to escape. The Christmas holiday will soon be upon us and we have hardly begun to buy gifts. The time to take action is upon us.
immediately or very soon after: She went into mourning upon her husband's death.
on the occasion of: She was joyful upon seeing her child take his first steps.
on (in any of various senses, used as an equivalent of on with no added idea of ascent or elevation, and preferred in certain cases only for euphonic or metrical reasons): He swore upon his honor as a gentleman.
Origin of upon
1Words Nearby upon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use upon in a sentence
Completed in 1953 and composed with standard line breaks and punctuation, the book was completely ignored upon submission.
Once upon a time, a girl named Onika Maraj dreamed of being an actress.
Nicki Minaj: High School Actress | Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTExcited, Shaheen wasted no time and began interviewing surgeons, deciding upon Dr. Curtis Crane in Greenbrae, California.
The Insurance Company Promised a Gender Reassignment. Then They Made a Mistake. | James Joiner | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe poet apparently collapsed in the street upon his departure from “The Horse” and died not long after.
“I happened upon yak butter tea, a traditional high-energy food eaten by Tibetans,” Asprey says.
Bulletproof Coffee and the Case for Butter as a Health Food | DailyBurn | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is thinner than that of chronic bronchitis, and upon standing separates into three layers of pus, mucus, and frothy serum.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddOther things being equal, the volume of voice used measures the value that the mind puts upon the thought.
Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge SouthwickHe was too drowsy to hold the thought more than a moment in his mind, much less to reflect upon it.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodIn the year of misery, of agony and suffering in general he had endured, he had settled upon one theory.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxHe turned his eyes upon her; but no sympathy was in their beams; no belief in the semblance of her tears.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
British Dictionary definitions for upon
/ (əˈpɒn) /
another word for on
indicating a position reached by going up: climb upon my knee
imminent for: the weekend was upon us again
Origin of upon
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with upon
see act on (upon); call on (upon); chance on (upon); come across (upon); come on (upon); count on (upon); dawn on (upon); dwell on (upon); enter on (upon); fall back on (upon); fall on (upon); grow on (upon); hard on (upon); hit on (upon); incumbent upon; light on (upon); once upon a time; pitch on (upon); play on (upon); put upon; seize on (upon); set at (upon); take it upon oneself; wait on (upon); weigh on (upon); work on (upon).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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