higher-up

American

[hahy-er-uhp] / ˈhaɪ ərˈʌp /

noun

Informal.

a person in a position of higher authority in an organization; superior.

higher-up British

noun

informal a person of higher rank or in a superior position

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of higher-up

1910–15, noun use of adj. phrase higher up

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.

See Examples For:

higher-up

"Another participant exhibited more symmetric use but also compensated with their less-affected side slightly more often for higher-up points that were close to the mid-line."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2023

If a higher-up criticized a story she handled, she took full blame.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2023

That decision was made with Capt. Jeffrey Bratcher, the incident commander who was a higher-up at Newton Division, where the blast occurred, the report stated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2023

“We have more runners in the higher-up part of varsity that are closer to each other,” junior Tori Ketzler said.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2022

After a commercial for gum and another for laundry soap, MacGyver comes back on and makes a plan with all the villagers to defeat the higher-up bad guys.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023